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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
RHEINGAU MUSIK FESTIVAL |
| CATALOG NUMBER: |
RMF 02 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
N/A |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
118:43 |
| YEAR RECORDED: |
21 AUGUST 2004 |
| CD RELEASE DATE: |
2004 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
ROLF BECK |
| ORCHESTRA: |
CAPPELLA ISTROPOLITANA |
| CHOIR: |
CHOR DER BAMBERGER SYMPHONIKER |
| SOPRANO: |
ANNA KORONDI |
| CONTRALTO: |
ANNETTE MARKERT |
| TENOR: |
WERNER GÜRA
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| BASS: |
SEBASTIAN NOACK |
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Available
for
purchase
from
The Rheingau
Musik Festival
website. |
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
NONE
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NONE
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NONE
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DISC ONE
1. Sinfony 02:54
2. Accompagnato. Comfort ye, my people 02:20
3. Air. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted 03:17
4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord 02:44
5. Accompagnato. Thus saith the Lord 01:26
6. Air. But who may abide 04:34
7. Chorus. And He shall purify 02:16
8. Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall conceive /
Air and Chorus. O thou that tellest good tid 05:57
9. Accompagnato. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth 01:44
10. Air. The people that walked in darkness 03:44
11. Chorus. For unto us a Child is born 03:50
12. Pifa 02:18
13. Recitative. There were shepherds /
Accompagnato. And lo, the angel of the Lord 00:35
14. Recitative. And the angel said unto them /
Accompagnato. And suddenly there 00:56
15. Chorus. Glory to God 01:52
16. Air. Rejoice greatly 04:08
17. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the blind /
Duet. He shall feed His flock 05:03
18. Chorus. His yoke is easy 02:22
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DISC TWO
1 Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God 03:09
2 Air. He was despised 09:07
3 Chorus. Surely, He hath borne our griefs 01:50
4 Chorus. And with His stripes 01:45
5 Chorus. All we like sheep 03:54
6 Accompagnato. All they that see Him 00:45
7 Chorus. He trusted in God 02:21
8 Accompagnato. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart 01:27
9 Arioso. Behold and see 01:15
10 Accompagnato. He was cut off 00:19
11 Air. But Thou didst not leave 02:05
12 Chorus. Lift up your heads 03:04
13 Air. How beautiful are the feet 02:06
14 Arioso. Their sound is gone out 01:09
15 Air. Why do the nations 02:59
16 Chorus. Let us break their bonds asunder 01:47
17 Recitative. He hath dwelleth in heaven /
Air. Thou shalt break them 02:15
18 Chorus. Hallelujah 03:41
19 Air. I know that my Redeemer liveth 05:35
20 Chorus. Since by man came death 02:00
21 Accompagnato. Behold, I tell you a mystery 00:38
22 Air. The trumpet shall sound 06:03
23 Chorus. Worthy is the Lamb 07:29
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SITE RATING: 6/10
SITE REVIEW:
This 2004 live recording, a publicly available souvenir from the German-based Rheingau Musik Festival, this English-language Messiah
has several pluses, as well as some minuses, both directly attributable
to the live setting. First, the good: the Bamberger Symphony
Choir and Cappella Istropolitana Orchestra are both excellent,
singing and playing with fiery aplomb. Their performances here are
certainly worthy of Handel's work, and they acquit themselves
admirably. The soloists are decidedly mixed in their individual
arenas, with their faults showing up noticeably in unsteady,
occasionally disastrous melismas, overly bright tones, and forward
projection, making them each sound harsh and unpleasant. Soprano Anna
Korondi was my favorite among them, for her softer, more approacable
tone. Rolf Beck's direction is uniformly fast - tending towards
racing, which further hinders the soloists, but tends to add a
distinct spark of fervor to the choruses. I felt, however that
this performance was on the whole rather stiff - with Beck emphasizing
style over substance, and often ignoring the more tender aspects of Messiah.
His tempos more often feel rushed than necessary - and the singing and
playing more robotic than warm. Still, there are several
admirable moments here, and I'll undoubtedly be listening to this
recording again. Available only through the Festival's official
store, payable by international bank transfer.
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