Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin & Justin Doyle - Handel: Messiah (2020) [CD-Rip]

  • 04 Apr, 05:24
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Artist:
Title: Handel: Messiah, HWV 56
Year Of Release: 2020
Label: Pentatone
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (image + .cue, log, artwork)
Total Time: 2:14:27
Total Size: 700 MB
WebSite:

Tracklist:

Disc 1
01. MESSIAH, Oratorio in three parts, HWV 56 (1742) - PART I. Symphony
02. Accompagnato (Tenor): Comfort ye my people, saith your God
03. Air (Tenor): Ev’ry valley shall be exalted
04. Chorus: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
05. Accompagnato (Bass): Thus saith the Lord of Hosts
06. Air (Countertenor): But who may abide the day of His coming
07. Chorus: And He shall purify the sons of Levi
08. Recitative (Countertenor): Behold, a virgin shall conceive
09. Air (Countertenor) and Chorus: O thou that tellest goot tidings to Zion
10. Accompagnato (Bass): For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
11. Air (Bass): The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light
12. Chorus: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
14. Recitative (Soprano): There were shepherds abiding in the field
15. Accompagnato (Soprano): And Io, the angel of the Lord came upon them
16. Recitative (Soprano): And the angel said unto them
17. Accompagnato (Soprano): And suddenly there was with the angel
18. Chorus: Glory to God in the highest
19. Air (Soprano): Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
20. Recitative (Countertenor): Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d
21. Duet (Countertenor & Soprano): He shall feed His flock like a shepherd
22. Chorus: His yoke is easy, His burthen is light

Disc 2
01. PART II. Chorus: Behold the Lamb of God
02. Air (Countertenor): He was despised and rejected of men
03. Chorus: Surely, He hath borne our griefs
04. Chorus: And with His stripes we are healed
05. Chorus: All we like sheep, have gone astray
06. Accompagnato (Tenor): All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn
07. Chorus: He trusted in God that He would deliver Him
08. Accompagnato (Tenor): Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
09. Arioso (Tenor): Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow
10. Accompagnato (Tenor): He was cut off out of the land of the living
11. Recitative (Tenor): Unto which of the angels said He at any time
12. Chorus: Lift up your heads, O ye gates
13. Recitative (Tenor): Unto which of the angels said He at any time
14. Chorus: Let all the abgels of God worship Him
15. Air (Countertenor): Thou art gone upon high
16. Chorus: The Lord gave the word
17. Air (Soprano): How beautiful are the feet of them
18. Chorus: Their sound is gone out into all lands
19. Air (Bass): Why do the nations so furoiously rage together
20. Chorus: Let us break their bonds asunder
21. Recitative (Tenor): He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn
22. Air (Tenor): Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron
23. Chorus: Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!
24. PART III. Air (Soprano): I know that my Redeemer liveth
25. Chorus: Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead
26. Accompagnato (Bass): Behold, I tell you a mystery
27. Air (Bass): The trumpet shall sound
28. Recitative (Countertenor): Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written
29. Duet (Countertenor & Tenor): O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
30. Chorus: But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory
31. Air (Soprano): If God be for us, who can be against us?
32. Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain - Amen

The list of solid performances of Handel's Messiah, HWV 56, from outside Britain is growing longer, and this one, released in 2020 just in time for sacred music season, is a case in point. All four soloists and the conductor are indeed anglophones, and they offer much to enjoy. Veteran baritone Roderick Williams is in fine voice, and the silvery soprano of Julia Doyle has a classic Handelian sound with a nice bloom at the top, but Messiah succeeds or fails on its chorus, and the work of the RIAS Kammerchor is as impressive as that of the soloists. It would be a tall order for any native speaker of English to detect any hint of an accent, and better still, the group articulates the text well and seems to respond to what is being sung in the famous choruses like "For unto us a child is born" and "Hallelujah." The choir has 20 members, and the stated goal of the recording is to return Messiah to its original more intimate dimensions. Conductor Justin Doyle overdoes it a bit here; the original Dublin performance of Messiah featured 32 singers, although the present complement may have been closer to those of later London performances. However, the 20 singers have a big sound, and, in general, Doyle's forces are a flexible and well-balanced group. The historical instruments of the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin also add sharpness in the trumpets and drums. Listeners new to historical performance will find a satisfying and friendly instance of it here. ~ James Manheim