Handel: Messiah

Georg Friedrich Handel
Messiah
Various performers, Les Arts Florissants - William Christie, dir.
Harmonia Mundi HMC 40 1498 / 99 [Cass. x2]
Harmonia Mundi HMC 90 1498 / 99 [CDx2]
Harmonia Mundi HMX 290 1498 / 99 [CDx2]
Harmonia Mundi HML 590 1498 / 99 [CDx2 + book]

Contents:

    Georg Friedrich Handel

    Messiah, Oratorio (Dublin, 1742)
    CD-1

    Part I
  1. Sinfonia
  2. Recitative "Comfort ye, my people, saith your God"
  3. Air "Every valley shall be exalted"
  4. Chorus "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed"
  5. Recitative "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts"
  6. Air "But who may abide the day of His coming?"
  7. Chorus "And He shall purify the sons of Levi"
  8. Recitative "Behold, a virgin shall conceive"
    Air "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion"
    Chorus "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion"
  9. Recitative "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth"
    Air "The people that walked in darkness"
  10. Chorus "For unto us a child is born"
  11. Pastoral Symphony
  12. Recitative "There were shepherds abiding in the field"
    "And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them"
    "And the angel said unto them: Fear not"
    Chorus "Glory to God in the highest"
  13. Air "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion"
  14. Recitative "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened"
    Air "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd"
  15. Chorus "His yoke is easy, and His burthen is light"

    16. Part II
  16. Chorus "Behold the lamb of God"
  17. Air "He was despised and rejected of men"
  18. Chorus "Surely He hath borne our griefs - All we like sheep have gone astray"

    19. CD-2

  19. Recitative "All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn"
    Chorus "He trusted in God that He would deliver Him"
  20. Recitative "Thy rebuke hath broken His heart"
    Air "Behold and see if there be any sorrow"
    Recitative "He was cut off out of the land of the living"
  21. Air "But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell"
  22. Chorus "Lift up your heads, O ye gates"
  23. Recitative "Unto which of the angels said He at any time"
    Chorus "Let all the angels of God worship Him"
  24. Air "Thou art gone up on high"
  25. Chorus "The Lord gave the world"
  26. Air "How beautiful are the feet of them"
  27. Chorus "Their sound is gone out into all lands"
  28. Air "Why do the nations so furiously rage together"
  29. Chorus "Let us break their bonds asunder"
  30. Recitative "He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn"
    Air "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron"
  31. Chorus "Hallelujah!"

    32. Part III
  32. Air "I know that my redeemer liveth"
  33. Chorus "Since by man came death"
  34. Recitative "Behold, I tell you a mystery"
    Air "The trumpet shall sound"
  35. Recitative "Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written"
    Duet "O Death, where is thy sting?"
    Chorus "But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory"
  36. Air "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
  37. Chorus "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain"
  38. Chorus "Amen"

Playing time: 77' 00" + 65' 10" = 2h 22' 10"

Performers:
Andreas Scholl (counter-tenor), Barbara Schlick (soprano), Sandrine Piau (soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Nathan Berg (bass)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie, dir.

Recording site and date:
Unknown [12/1993]
Rel. 1994 (HMC), 1999 (HMX), 2005 (HML)

Excerpts:
[6], [8.2] Harmonia mundi "Passerelles" HMB 590 017 / 18 [CDx2 + book] Les Contre-ténors - Mythes et Réalités (with a book by Peter Giles)
[13], [31] Harmonia Mundi "Century" HMX 290 8174 L'Angleterre baroque - Baroque England / Un siècle de musique anglaise (1650-1760) - Masks, Anthems & Semi-operas
[?] Harmonia mundi HMX 290 8006 [CDx5] Une histoire de la musique baroque - Le domaine sacré: messe, vêpres, motet... [etc.] / Roland de Lassus, Claudio Monteverdi, Domenico Mazzocchi... [et al.],

Reviewed in:
Diapason (#-p.):
Early Music America (Vol./#-p.):
Fanfare (Vol./#-p.):
Goldberg (y., #-p.):
Gramophone (Vol./#-p.):

Comments:
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Pierre-F. Roberge