1. I. Overture
2. II. Recitative. Comfort ye, my people
3. III. Air. Every valley shall be exalted
4. IV. And the glory of the Lord
5. V. Recitative. Thus saith the Lord
6. VI. Air. But who may abide
7. VII. And He shall purify
8. VIII. Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
9. IX. Air. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
10. XII. For unto us a Child is born
11. XIII. Pastoral Symphony (Pifa)
12. XIVa. Recitative. There were shepherds
13. XIVb. Recitative. And, lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them
14. XV. Recitative. And the angel said unto them
15. XVI. Recitative. And suddenly there was with the angel
16. XVII. Glory to God
17. XVIII. Air. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
18. XIX. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened
19. XX. Air. He shall feed His flock
20. XXXIII. Lift up your heads
21. XL. Air. Why do the nations
22. XLI. Let us break their bonds asunder
23. XLII. Recitative. He that dwelleth in heaven
24. XLIII. Air. Thou shalt break them
25. XLIV. Hallelujah!
26. XXII. Behold the Lamb of God
27. XXIII. Air. He was despised
28. XXV. And with His stripes we are healed
29. XXVI. All we like sheep have gone astray
30. XXVII. Recitative. All they that see Him
31. XXVIII. He trusted in God
32. XXIX. Recitative. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
33. XXX. Air. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
34. XXXI. Recitative. He was cut off
35. XLV. Air. I know that my Redeemer liveth
36. XLVI. Since by man came death
37. XLVII. Recitative. Behold, I tell you a mystery
38. XLVIII. Air. The trumpet shall sound
39. LIII. Worthy is the Lamb; Blessings and honour, glory and power, be unto Him
Amazon.com
This performance is demented. Leonard Bernstein cuts a bunch of numbers, and divides the piece into two parts instead of the usual three. He does use a countertenor (the strange-sounding Russell Oberlin), which was unusual in the late '50s when this was recorded, but his interpretation isn't just un-Baroque, it's also unlike anything else you could possibly imagine. Slow, heavy, and totally unidiomatic, this recording is valuable only to Bernstein fanatics. --David Hurwitz
|
Handel: Messiah
- Audio CD: 0 pages (1998-03-31)
- Publisher: Sony
- Label: Sony
- Studio: Sony
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 13 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #108705
Avg. Customer Review:
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Hacking at Handel 2008-04-15
Comment: If you are a Baroque purist, you will probably gag, but this edition of Handel's most famous work points out the strengths and weaknesses of Bernstein the arranger.
Bernstein butchered Handel, rearranging vocal parts and transposing with abandon. He uses the traditional voice types, including a countertenor, but nobody is singing the music Handel intended for that voice type. It can be jarring.
On the plus side, the voices are gorgeous and Bernstein has infused the work with an energy that Handel himself would likely approve. If you know nothing about what the Messiah is supposed to sound like you will find beauty in this rendition. I think it is worthy to be in a classical collection but it should not be the only edition of Messiah one has. As an example of vocal excellence, it can be noted. Buy it if you admire one of these soloists. You will not have wasted your money.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great singers acting together 2008-03-06
Comment: The Bernstein performance of Messiah is a bit strange, as compared with our present experience in baroque music. The orchestra sounds sometimes very extraordinary, but you can listen to it without disgust (except the Overture, which is much too slow). The choir for me is too big and sounds horrible (well, I sing in a choir, so my requirements are high). BUT... the recording is worth buying because of magnificent singers. All are tremendous: powerful voice and laser clarity of pitch in soprano; elegant tenor; emotional and very humane singing of bass; and the best of the best at the end: Russell Oberlin in alto part. For me, he alone is a quite sufficient excuse to buy the album. Oberlin sings here with the highest mastery you can except from the singer: his voice is quite unusual and we did not meet such alto vibration after him (obviously there were many before, in Handel times). His performance of "He Was Despised" air is the greatest I've ever heard (and Russell sings two more arias here!). Really, this album is a must for all lovers of great singing.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Slow and Heavy 2006-12-13
Comment: I want to say that I am a HUGE fan of Lenny B. I have collections of his mahler and beethoven recordings, autobiographies...all the good stuff. I am very sorry to say that this is the only recording of his that I really don't like. It is very heavy and slow.
I personally like very clean, more baroque style recordings of the Messiah, which is one of my favorite works. I have performed it multiple times, and at various tempos and styles.
I wouldnt recomend this recording, even though Lenny is amazing.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not very convincing 2005-11-03
Comment: Anyone unacquainted with Handel's masterpiece should avoid this recording as it gives a distorted view of the piece. I've known this recording since the early 1960s Lp issue and have come to regard it as ill-conceived in its premise. The chief problem is the reworking of the three part oratorio into two "acts". Maestro Bernstein is accurate, in his introductory essay explaining the re-formulation of work into a two parts - Christmas and Easter - that devotion to the traditional form of the piece is in deference to Charles Jennens (or his chaplain Pooley). But the proof of the pudding is in the eating and I just don't agree with him. Jennens' three part structure of the oratorio takes us from prophecy, Messiah's birth and ministry (Part I); to the passion of Messiah, resurrection, and the spread of the kingdom (Part II) to the reflection upon the fulfillment of the promises of all that has gone before at the last days (Part III). It's not just about the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of the Christ (as this reworking would lead one to believe) but the redemption of humankind. Frankly, if Handel had reservations about the structure of the libretto, he was capable of making Jennens aware of his concerns. The evidence is certainly present in Jennens self-important letters in which he complains about Handel's obstinate attitude towards his musical setting. Bernstein's tampering results in the Part I loss of the choral affirmation of the alto's "Rejoice greatly" and "His yoke is easy," the summary of Christ's ministry on earth. Instead we jump to the ascension chorus "Lift up your heads" and proceed to the rage aria "Why do the nations," proceeding through the final numbers of the original Part II to "Hallelujah." This is justified on the basis that Part I and the second half of Part II share a joyful nature. True enough, but the joy of the nativity and the jubilation of the spread of the heavenly kingdom are simply different conceptually. With the reformulated Part II, we are suddenly plunged into the gloom of the passion narrative - substantially cut. The recitative "He was cut off out of the land of the living" originally paired with the aria "But thou didst not leave His sould in hell" then leads us to the grafted on Part III. The juxtaposition of this recitative with "I know that my Redeemer liveth" is one of the more bizarre moments in a wrong-headed concept.
Theological issues, with which Jennens and Handel were quite conversant, aside, the performance itself is not very well executed. Diction and precision aside, the Westminster Choir won't win any prizes for tonal allure. I found the throaty, contricted sound of the choral altos and the coarse tenor section unpleasant then and now. I've heard better singing from local choral societies.
As for the soloists, Adele Addison is the stand-out with her lovely tone and simple style. Her "I know that my redeemer liveth" sparingly accompanied a solo violin and coninuo, is the standout of the recording. Oberlin takes some getting used to, but the color of his countertenor is a welcome contrast to the white hoot that seems the norm for todays falsettists. Lloyd's tenor has a disfiguring gargly vibrato. He sang better under Thompson Stone in the old Unicorn/Handel and Haydn Socity recording. Warfield tends to bawl his top notes - he was in better voice for Ormandy.
Bernstein's conducting doesn't make much of an impression pro or con given the other issues I have with this recording. Bernstein makes a point in his notes of using Handel's "con ripieno" and "senza ripieno" indications for varying the size of the orchestra depending upon whether the piece in question is a chorus or an aria, but then inconsistently uses Mozart's orchestrations in may instances - "O thou that tellest" being a case in point.
The Philharmonic isn't as raucous it sounded in many of its '50s and '60s Columbia sessions, but hardly beguiling. Prospective purchasers will get a far better representation of the music from Colin Davis on Phillips, Mackerras on EMI, or Shaw on RCA. This one is a curio.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece for us Common Folk 2005-06-04
Comment: David Hurwitz is a snob. Does one always eat every morsel on the plate even if he/she hates it?? I have loved this recording on LP since the 60's and can't wait for the CD which I am ordering. It discards some of the more boring parts (I have heard on other recordings) and brilliantly gives the listener the essence of this beautiful piece which I consider the most beautiful music ever written.
|
Handel: Messiah
Enlarge View