RECORDINGS
Linn Records CKD761
LABEL: LINN RECORDS
CATALOG NUMBER: CKD761
UPC NUMBER: 691062076128
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 128:26 MIN.
YEAR RECORDED: 2024
CD RELEASE DATE: 27 March 2026
CONDUCTOR: PETER WHELAN
ORCHESTRA: IRISH BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
CHOIR: IRISH BAROQUE CHOIR
SOPRANO: HILARY CRONIN,
ALTO: HELEN CHARLSTEON, ALEXANDER CHANCE,
NATHAN MERCIECA,
TENOR: GUY CUTTING
BASS: FREDERICK LONG, EDWARD GRINT
AUDIO SAMPLES OTHER RELEASES




NONE
DISC ONE

1. Sinfonia 2:39
2. Recitative Comfort ye 2:43 GUY CUTTING
3. Aria Ev’ry valley shall be exalted 3:00 GUY CUTTING
4. Chorus And the glory of the Lord 2:27
5. Recitative Thus saith the Lord 1:20 EDWARD GRINT
6. Aria But who may abide 4:00 ALEXANDER CHANCE
7. Chorus And he shall purify 2:25
8. Recitative Behold, a virgin shall conceive 0:26 HELEN CHARLSTON
9. Aria with Chorus O thou that tellest good tidings 4:51 HELEN CHARLSTON
10. Recitative For behold 1:55 EDWARD GRINT
11. Aria The people that walked in darkness 3:39 EDWARD GRINT
12. Chorus For unto us a child is born 3:44
13. Pifa ‘Pastoral Symphony’ 1:32
14. Recitative There were shepherds 0:12 HILARY CRONIN
15. Recitative And lo, the angel of the Lord 0:16 HILARY CRONIN
16. Recitative And the angel said 0:30  HILARY CRONIN
17. Recitative And suddenly 0:16 HILARY CRONIN
18. Chorus Glory to God in the highest 1:42
19. Aria Rejoice greatly 4:09  HILARY CRONIN
20. Recitative Then shall the eyes of the blind 0:23  HELEN CHARLSTON
21. Aria He shall feed his flock 4:55 HELEN CHARLSTON
22. Chorus His yoke is easy 2:10
23. Chorus Behold the lamb of God 2:48
24. Aria He was despised 10:12  HELEN CHARLSTON
25. Chorus Surely he hath borne our griefs 1:39
26. Chorus And with his stripes 1:41
27. Chorus All we like sheep 3:23
 DISC TWO

28. Recitative All they that see him 0:35 GUY CUTTING
29. Chorus He trusted in God 2:02
30. Recitative Thy rebuke hath broken his heart 1:44 HILARY CRONIN
31. Arioso Behold and see 1:12 HILARY CRONIN
32. Recitative He was cut o 0:12 GUY CUTTING
33. Aria But thou didst not leave 2:05 GUY CUTTING
34. Chorus Li up your heads 2:48
35. Recitative Unto which of the angels 0:14 GUY CUTTING
36. Chorus Let all the angels of God 1:22
37. Aria Thou art gone up on high 3:07 ALEXANDER CHANCE
38. Chorus The Lord gave the word 1:03
39. Duet with Chorus How beautiful are the feet 3:08 ALEXANDER CHANCE, NATHAN MERCIECA
40. Aria Why do the nations 1:13  FREDERICK LONG
41. Chorus Let us break their bonds 1:41
42. Recitative He that dwelleth in heaven 0:10  GUY CUTTING
43. Aria Thou shalt break them 1:49 GUY CUTTING
44. Chorus Hallelujah 3:41
45. Aria I know that my redeemer 5:19 HILARY CRONIN
46. Chorus Since by man came death 1:28
47. Recitative Behold, I tell you a mystery 0:36 EDWARD GRINT
48. Aria The trumpet shall sound 8:21 EDWARD GRINT
49. Recitative Then shall be brought 0:13 GUY CUTTING
50. Duet O death 0:58 ALEXANDER CHANCE, GUY CUTTING
51. Chorus But thanks be to God 1:58
52. Aria If God be for us 4:57 HELEN CHARLSTON
53. Chorus Worthy is the lamb 3:01
54. Chorus Amen 4:10
SITE RATING:  9/10
SITE REVIEW:  Touting itself as the first Messiah recording by an Irish Baroque ensemble, this 2026 recording by the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Choir under the direction of Peter Whelan proudly flies its Celtic colors with many fine qualities indeed.  The Orchestra and Choir are one of the smallest I've reviewed, with eighteen players, and a choir consisting of an even more slim ensemble of thirteen.  But their precision, diction, and energy are unmatched; and their recorded sound, although not drowning in reverb, sounds very full indeed.  Recorded at Concert Hall, TU Dublin Conservatoire, Ireland, in October 2024, it's a little baffling why the album was held back so long, but the wait is very much worth it - this is an electrifying performance - eschewing the dry white "British" school of performance usually associated with Baroque performances, this Messiah practically drips with emotion and fire, while not sacrificing cleanness and precision in either the playing or singing.  Peter Whelan's direction is flawless: bright, dancing, energetic, and full of sparkle, he leads with a very sure hand, and the combined forces follow effortlessly.    While you don't find the smooth unification of sound which larger ensembles can provide, the choir and orchestra perform with such emotion and joy that I found myself swept away by the sheer force of their personality.  I found little to fault in the soloists either, who, as members of the ensemble, take various arias and recitatives with envious lack of ego; soprano Hilary  Cronin gets the lions share of the work, being the sole soprano, while all of the other roles are multi-cast, but without a weak link among them.  If I had any critique at all, it would be that some pieces, such as the "Pifa" are given a bit too MUCH zest in the director's tempi - I would have preferred a more gentle reading on some moments; but honestly, the entire performance is so good - so invested, and so inhabited by all the players, that it's jumped to the top of my favorites list.  Highly recommended.

The Complete Messiah All Content Copyright © 2026 Bret D. Wheadon
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