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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, fine singing and fine sound., 23 Aug 2004
An excellent disc. I was familiar with the music from the old Ormandy recording but this beats the pants of that, good tho' it was. Orgonasova, Schmidt and the Chorus (sample track 11) are terrific and so too are Nagano and his DSO, Berlin. Nagano's pacing is sure and he cranks up the drama very effectively. The sound overall is excellent - my guess is that this is a 24/96 PCM, well recorded and well remastered. Just a touch of strain now and again lets it down a little. Best of all, its genuinely surround sound, unlike most other HM SACDS (again, sample track 11 which features very dramatic choral interchanges).Domingo's singing may be a drawback for some listeners, but not for me. Okay, he isn't as young as he once was and he husbands his voice, avoiding any chance for display (sadly). Jesus was 33 when he died and Domingo sounds like 53 (and must be at least 63). But he is very steady (if sometimes a little slight), very intelligent in approach and the voice is still demonstrably that of a once-great singer who is still good. His German may not be the most idiomatic but to my taste, he adds to the pleasure by rounding off the guttural hard edges of that language. If tghere is a criticism (and its minor) its of the overall balance between the soloists, which isn't always ideal. A really enjoyable disc with only minor flaws, one being a short running time but I got mine cheap so it was no problem. Highly recommended, with the total being more than the sum of its parts. Performance and sound rate 4 each from me, but if asked for an overall rating I'd say 5 stars.
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