| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
OPENING
DAY RECORDINGS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
ODR9304 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
776143000428 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
1 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
1:16:15 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1994 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
1994 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
HOWARD
DYCK |
| ORCHESTRA: |
GIFT
OF MESSIAH ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
GIFT
OF MESSIAH CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
HENRIETTE
SCHELLENBERG |
| MEZZO-SOPRANO: |
CATHERINE
ROBBIN |
| TENOR: |
PAUL
FREY |
| BASS: |
DANIEL
LICHTI |
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
NONE
|
NONE |
NONE |
|
DISC ONE
1. Sinfony 2:57
2. Comfort ye my people
Ev'ry Valley shall be
exalted 6:25
3. And the glory of the Lord 2:48
4. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
O thou that tellest
good tidings 6:01
5. For unto us a child is born 3:49
6. Pifa
There were shepherds
abiding
And lo, the angel of
the Lord
And the angel said
And suddenly there was
with the angel
Glory to God 4:30
7. Rejoice greatly 4:35
8. Behold the Lamb of God 3:04
9. He was despised 9:20
10. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
Behold and see if there
be any sorrow
He was cut off from the
land
But Thou didst not
leave His soul 5:21
11. Hallelujah! 3:38
12. I know that my Redeemer liveth 5:43
13. Behold I tell you a mystery
The trumpet shall sound
9:35
14. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
Amen 7:23
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|
SITE RATING: 7/10
SITE
REVIEW:
A Canadian release used as a
fundraiser for the Mennonite Central Committee
as well as Habitat
for Humanity,
this limited release highlights disc is good,
although hampered by
blocky tempos which tends to weigh everything
down. I was at
first taken
with tenor Paul Frey's commanding tone, but as
he continued, the heavy
emphasis on downbeats dragged his solos down.
The same can be
said with mezzosoprano Catherine Robbin, who
shares an admirable tone
and phrasing, but is slowed down by director's
Howard Dyck's emphatic,
square tempos. This Messiah
isn't as rich and grand as the old-school
1950s recordings, it uses
light forces, in both the small choir and
orchestra, both of whom were
compiled for this project, but he conducts as
if his troupe was larger
than it is, and thus loses some of the joy and
dancing lightness that Messiah
can have, and conversely lacking the power and
majesty that larger
forces can bring. That said, this is
still an enjoyable
recording, with a professional feel and shine
that reveals that whoever
the forces were that brought this recording to
fruition were
professional. The choir is remarkably
unified and commanding
during their melismas, although it sounds like
the basses are given
more weight in the mixing than the sopranos,
which is a little odd.
Still, an overall pleasing highlights
disc that has many fine
moments. Don't hesitate to snap it up if
you can find it.
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