Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Part One.: Sinfonia
2. Part One.: Comfort Ye, My People/Every Valley Shall Be Exalted
3. Part One.: And The Glory Of The Lord
4. Part One.: Thus Saith The Lord/But Who May Abide/And He Shall Purify
5. Part One.: Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive/O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion
6. Part One.: For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover The Earth/The People That Walked In Darkness
7. Part One.: For Unto Us A Child Is Born
8. Part One.: Pifa-"Pastoral Symphony"/There Were Shepherds/And Lo, The Angel Of The Lord Came Upon Th
9. Part One.: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion
10. Part One.: Then Shall The Eyes Of The Blind
11. Part One.: He Shall Fed His Flock Like A Shepherd
12. Part One.: His Yoke Is Easy
13. Part Two.: Behold The Lamb Of God
14. Part Two.: Behold The Lamb Of God
15. Part Two.: Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs

Disc 2:

1. Part Two.: And With His Stripes We Are Healed/All We Like Sheep
2. Part Two.: All They That See Him/He Trusted In God
3. Part Two.: Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart/Behold, And See If There Be Any Sorrow/He Was Cut Off O
4. Part Two.: Lift Up Your Heads
5. Part Two.: Unto Which Of The Angels/Let All the Angels Of God Worship Him
6. Part Two.: Thou Art Gone Up On High
7. Part Two.: The Lord Gave The Word
8. Part Two.: How Beautiful Are The Feet
9. Part Two.: Their Sound Is Gone Out
10. Part Two.: Why Do The Nations?/Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder
11. Part Two.: He That Dwelleth In Heaven/Thou Shalt Break Them
12. Part Two.: Hallelujah
13. Part Three.: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
14. Part Three.: Behold, I Tell You A Mystery/The Trumpet Shall Sound
15. Part Three.: Then Shall Be Brought To Pass/O Death, Where Is Sting?/But Thanks Be To God
16. Part Three.: If God Be For Us
17. Part Three.: Worthy Is The Lamb...Amen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78213 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

The truest rendition of the Greatest Oratorio Ever
I scoff at anyone who says that this recording is boring or has poor sound quality. I have found the recording to be the best out of all my Messiah recordings as well as the recording that is the truest to Handel's original intentions and scope. Most copies of Messiah contain overly large choirs that fail to capture many of the nuances that Handel built into this Oratorio. The smaller orchestra/choir size allows the listener to hear many artfully performed and skillfully composed sections that one would miss in a recording with a larger orchestra. This CD is skillfully executed. Of particular favorite is the third piece of the Part Two, SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS. The chorus is at its best here and treats the middle adagio section with much grace and humility. This is the premier copy of Handel's Messiah and should be heard so that the listener can appreciate what Handel had originally intended before conductors made the mistake of trying to enlarge the already great piece.

The Complete, Traditional Messiah
I had a version of the Messiah on vinyl and needed to replace it. After listening to five other versions of the Messiah at Barnes and Noble, I purchased this one. I was looking for version that had soloists I could understand, great sound and a chorus that sounded like more than 12 people. This one had it all. The airs are well done. The elocution of the soloists was excellant. You can understand every word. If you want a complete Messiah, with a traditional sound, then this is the one to buy. Robert Shaw made effort to capture the original essence of the original Messiah. It shows. This version is not as somber as the old vinyl one I have featuring Jerome Hines and others.

Perfectly adequate recording
This was one of the very first CD's I ever purchased of anything - bought back in the early '90's. I have listened to it hundreds of times and have not become tired of it. There may be better recordings out there but I have never felt the need to replace it - it is still my only Messiah CD.
My only criticism is that the timing seems a little rushed, especially the track, "Since By Man Came Death". Other than that nothing is left out (this is not a "highlights" CD) and the music is as powerful and uplifting as you would expect the Messiah to be.
Also a good booklet with the CD with extensive historical notes (English only), all the lyrics and short bio's of the five soloists.
Overall I don't think you will be disappointed with this CD unless you are a music expert who can detect the minor flaws that exist in most everything recorded.