Search - George Frederick Handel, Thomas Beecham, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus :: Handel: Messiah

A GLIMPSE OF THE PAST

Victor Adolfo Rocha | Santiago de Chile | 08/14/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Of the many recordings of "Messiah" I've heard over the years, I find this is to be a very special one, but for reasons other than the music itself. Sir Thomas Beecham leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a 1927 performace. As a document of the past, we can focus on the slower tempos of the work as a global effort to keep the pace that it was "fashionable" at that time, before te newer research on baroque music showed us how fast this oratorio was performed. I found this slow-tempo approach to add pathetism to the performance, but less power and freshness (It's 1927!). The soloists are not so remarkable but soprano Muriel Brunskill sings with power and clarity.For those who love this great oratorio, and prefer to hear it in an old-fashioned way, performed with antique instruments and a well-trained chorus, I recommend this as a recording that brings us a sound of the past."