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Amazon.co.uk Review
This widely celebrated 1997 release (dubbed "a Messiah for the millennium") has many strengths. McCreesh plays up the work's drama and excitement; swift tempos and crisp articulation fill the music with energy. (Maybe too much energy--it often sounds like the musicians were devouring double espressos during the recording sessions.) Still, the chorus and orchestra execute flawlessly, even brilliantly, whatever McCreesh asks. The soloists are less appealing: for all their sensitivity to text and melody, their wide vibratos and unremittingly smooth techniques seem better suited to Beethoven or Strauss. Even tenor Charles Daniels, normally a skilled and tasteful Baroque specialist, breaks into ugly wobbles. Listeners who favour more conventionally "operatic" soloists may well prefer this Messiah, which is undeniably exciting and skilfully done; if you prefer the sound of early-music specialists, Christopher Hogwood's 1979 recording (headed by Judith Nelson and Emma Kirkby) still sounds good. --Matthew Westphal
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This recording (as with all of McCreesh's, I guess) is riddled with extreme tempi. In some places it's almost rediculously fast and others, notably the tenor recitative "Comfort ye my people", McCreesh pick an unusually slow tempo. His tempi hinders the soloists a bit, but in most passages they sing freely and with a very "british" coloratura use.
The soloists are a dramatic soprano I (a bit too much fo rmy taste) and a lyric soprano II and a contralto. No counter tenors here and it's a joy to hear such a talented voice as Bernada Fink's for this part. There are plenty of good baroque mezzos and contraltos out there (Anne Sofie von Otter and Magdalena Kozena to name a few, besides Fink in this recording). Neal Davies provides by far the most joyous Messiah bass soloist I have ever heard. His rendition of "The trumpet shall SOUND!!!" is masterful, joyful and powerful all at the same time. He has more than the voice for the part and although others may claim that he is too wobbly and too dramatic, I find his diction clear and beautiful and his vibrato is just right for the very dramatic bass parts in the Messiah.
Charles Daniels has done better on other recordings. He is by far superceeded by Mark Padmore on the 1993 Christie recording out on Harmonia Mundi.
The orchestra and choir is perfect, superb, everything you could want. They follow McCreesh's lead to perfection without ever once tripping in the coloraturas ot fast text pronounciation. The orchestra is rather large, but plays very freely and improvisative in places. Beautiful.
Note: This is the 1754 version of the Messiah. It differs in places (orchestration, alotment of arias to different voices and a few other things) from the other versions around. Most notably the 1742 version.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a wonderful Messiah. The tempi are extreme, it is true, but it is beautifully sung and played and has all the joy, excitement and drama that you could wish for. Those more accustomed to the older, slower approach to this music might take offence ... but I suspect that they also will fall in love with this account if they just give it a chance. Certainly Messiah has never seemed a bigger, greater work than it does here.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I don't think there is another work that captures more of the heartfelt spirituality of the believer than Handel's Messiah. Sure, a lot of it has to do with the libretto, but there's no denying the fact that Handel's music plays an almost equally important role. From the bleak despair of the tenor arias dealing with the agony of the Savoir to the exuberant Hallelujah chorus, one feels like they have gone on an unforgettable journey where faith and hope ultimately rule supreme.
It's the obvious religious fervor that Handel has incorporated into this work that I feel is entirely missed on this recording. Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort and Players play with a period feel for the music, which is certainly admirable, but they somehow seem to have lost the whole point of the piece in the process. I here lots of brilliant execution, but when it's all said and done, I'm left begging for more than just superficial brilliance. And, as if that's not bad enough, the Gabrieli Players can sound strained and harsh in the climatic moments; the Consort lacks a good balance in the singers. Also problematic is McCreesh's highly idiosyncratic choices of tempo--he has a tendency to rush.
The soloists? Well, they're a mix of good and bad. On the one hand we have tenor Charles Daniels, who seems to have more sensitivity than any other musicians involved. And then, on the other hand, we have Bernarda Fink, who is the only professional singer I've ever heard who makes me want to plug my ears; the complaints other reviewers have about her could not be more legitimate.
It would be unfair to write a review that only seeks to point out the bad in this recording. Irreligious or not, it does have its special moments. I have to think of "Comfort Ye, My People", which is sung by Daniels with such beauty of expression I was left spellbound. But one thing I think is fair to expect in a Messiah recording is solidity--you shouldn't be pleased by some numbers and disappointed by others to the extreme extent you will be here.
For those seeking a performance that fulfills my wishes, check out John Rutter's stellar recording with the Cambridge Singers and the Royal Philharmonic. It fulfills all my wishes wonderfully; the choir, orchestra, and soloists are far more convincing and the spirituality of Handel's work never leaves. Check it out: Handel's "Messiah" (CD)
It's the obvious religious fervor that Handel has incorporated into this work that I feel is entirely missed on this recording. Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort and Players play with a period feel for the music, which is certainly admirable, but they somehow seem to have lost the whole point of the piece in the process. I here lots of brilliant execution, but when it's all said and done, I'm left begging for more than just superficial brilliance. And, as if that's not bad enough, the Gabrieli Players can sound strained and harsh in the climatic moments; the Consort lacks a good balance in the singers. Also problematic is McCreesh's highly idiosyncratic choices of tempo--he has a tendency to rush.
The soloists? Well, they're a mix of good and bad. On the one hand we have tenor Charles Daniels, who seems to have more sensitivity than any other musicians involved. And then, on the other hand, we have Bernarda Fink, who is the only professional singer I've ever heard who makes me want to plug my ears; the complaints other reviewers have about her could not be more legitimate.
It would be unfair to write a review that only seeks to point out the bad in this recording. Irreligious or not, it does have its special moments. I have to think of "Comfort Ye, My People", which is sung by Daniels with such beauty of expression I was left spellbound. But one thing I think is fair to expect in a Messiah recording is solidity--you shouldn't be pleased by some numbers and disappointed by others to the extreme extent you will be here.
For those seeking a performance that fulfills my wishes, check out John Rutter's stellar recording with the Cambridge Singers and the Royal Philharmonic. It fulfills all my wishes wonderfully; the choir, orchestra, and soloists are far more convincing and the spirituality of Handel's work never leaves. Check it out: Handel's "Messiah" (CD)
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