Search - William Warfield, George Frederick Handel, Leonard Bernstein :: Handel: Messiah

A Beautiful Travesty

robert m. ingold | okemos, mi United States | 04/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Over the generations the Messiah has been repeatedly cut, sliced, diced, mauled, stomped upon and slapped rudely against the wall. That this is a very old tradition is proven by the antiquity of the "Prout Edition" which is presented here. Fortunately, the brilliance of Handel's score almost always manages to shine through the distortions.With this recording we only get about 2/3 of the original uncut work and, thus, many a fine aria and chorus is conspicuous by its absence. If you can bear the thought of this, go ahead and give this recording a try. In fact, even if you think you can't bear the thought of this, give the recording a try. The performance is a genuine classic in itself. No, it is not idiomatic and true, it doesn't sound much like anyone else's interpretation, but the soloists are wonderful and Berstein's handling of the orchestral parts is nothing less than brilliant. As one of the other reviewers remarked, For Unto Us A Child Is Born has never been more electrifying. Further, the right note is struck from the very beginning: the playing of the overture is the most satisfying and memorable I have ever heard.I am actually old enough, heaven help me, to have purchased the original two LP set around 1960 or so and, therefore, can assure potential buyers that this is one Messiah that wears very well over the long haul. Because there is so much missing, this is probably not the CD to buy if you are only going to own one Messiah, but, otherwise, you will do yourself a disservice to pass this one up. Caution: For heavens sake, don't buy the so called Highlights version on which half of this already heavily abridbged version is missing. Enough is enough! Besides, judging by what is absent, whoever made the decision on what constituted a highlight must have paid little attention to the performance."

Let me set you straight on this one.

Harpsichord Fan | 07/05/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm so big on historically-informed performance and the whole musicologically based period bit, but I really love this recording. Why? I haven't the slighest clue. I suppose it's because Bernstein breathes this amazing life into the score. It's almost pure eroticism -- everything from the fruity Russel Oberlin to the unsolid tenors in the chorus to the homogenized Berlioz-ian string playing right down to the almost wanton and sweaty exuberance of the conductor.I would like to regard my self as an avid Haendel specialist who probably should like the Hogwood or McCreesh Messiahs, but for some reason this is my favorite. Buy it, by all means. However, you might want to buy it only if you have a great deal of familiarity with the work (like if you have the score and maybe 1 or 2 other albums, including a period one). If you want a good period one, go for the Pinnock."

A historic, very early stereo Columbia Masterworks recording

Harpsichord Fan | 12/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, the most important thing to keep in mind about this recording is that it is an historic document, for it was Lenny's first recording in stereo, as well as one of the first in stereo by Columbia Masterworks. A recent issue of the audiophile publication, "The Absolute Sound" had an article on Columbia's start into stereo recording, and documented this recording as being made on December 31, 1956. In the previous month, Ormandy and Philadelphia made recordings in stereo of the Schubert 5th and 8th symphonies. As far as I've been able to tell, I have yet to see a copy of a commercial release of the Schubert, but this recording has been released on LP disk, open-reel tape, and two different CD releases so far. The sound may not be as magnificent as RCA Living Stereo or Mercury Living Presence, but the fact that this is one of Columbia Masterworks first stereo ventures, is significant in itself.Now for my two-cents worth: It's easy to criticize a document made nearly 50 years ago with present-day thinking. People at that time used to elephantine 19th-century-style "Messiah" performances undoubtedly raised their eyebrows with the inclusion of a counter-tenor soloist. This shows that Lenny not only did his homework, but had the guts to introduce something then perceived as radical, but considered by today's thinking, a valid step in the direction of authentic Baroque performance. All the performers contribute something of value to make this a well-rounded recording, and the well-known Westminster College Choir is no exception.This recording offers something for everyone: the audiophile, the musicologist, and "Messiah" fanatics."