SITE RATING: 2/10
SITE
REVIEW:
A substandard college
performance, with little in the way
of interest to casual listeners, the first
strong point here is the
combined
Emory University Glee Club, Collegium Musicum
and Women's Chorale who
sing with energy and vigor, although in the
execution that vigor often
comes across as sledgehammer blows. The
Atlanta-Emory Orchestra suffer
persistent severe intonation issues,
destroying several movements, most
noticably mangling the beginning of "He was
despised". Soprano
(and wife of the conductor) Jean Lemonds as
well as alto Susan Poole
both sound fusty in their solos.
Tenor Samuel Gagan is the
other high point; he has a bright, forward
tone, somewhat brittle, but
accomplished and not unpleasant. Bass
Charles Hamilton is
chest-toned and uninvolved, simply going
through the motions of his
arias without investment. Although
recorded in the mid-1970s, the
sonics are poorer than older recordings, no
doubt due to the live
setting and amateur equipment used.
Conductor William Lemonds
wields a heavy, teutonic hand in his
direction, with melismas from the
choir blocked and choppy, despite the quick
tempos he adopts for most
of the oratorio. Pressed as a memento
for those who participated,
this recording is best served by those for
whom it was intended.
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