Handel: Messiah Oratorio

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I don't see McCreesh on your list. It's really worth getting to know. It's right up there with Hogwood for me.

[Wilhelm Richard]

No Beecham?

[The new erato]

I think Saul - or maybe Jephta-  is my favorite Handel oratorio, though none of them compares to the best operas in my opinion. Messiah is far from my favorite among the oratorios. What are your favorites?

[Josquin des Prez]

I would love to hear what fellow choral music lovers have to say about this monumental work of the baroque era ...

It is a masterpiece of course, but i find it amusing that the English took such a liking for this particular composition when it is the least English among all of Handel's English works.

[Bulldog]

No Beecham?

I don't have any problem leaving Beecham out of the mix.

[The new erato]

It is a masterpiece of course, but i find it amusing that the English took such a liking for this particular composition when it is the least English among all of Handel's English works.

You may be right, but I always found Acis & Galatea the least English of the works in the English tongue. The masque elements are there all right, but no stately, grand choruses etc really makes this works stand out.

[Bunny]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned William Christie and Les Arts Florissants's  recording, with the soloists Sandrine Piau, Barbara Schlick, Andreas Scholl, Mark Padmore and Nathan Berg.  It's probably one of the most satisfying recordings that I have, and that includes almost all of the above mentioned Messiahs except perhaps for Sargent and one of the Marriners.  

If you are thinking of filling in your collection, then consider these as well:  McCreesh/Gabrieli Consort (smaller forces, and extremely well done.)  
Beecham's Messiah (LARGE almost Mahlerian forces; probably one of the greatest examples in the pre HIP performance style.)  
John Butt/Dunedin Consort & Players - Linn records (Best HIP recording of the Dublin version  in spectacular SACD sound quality.)  
Ton Koopman's Messiah (Great, more solemn, HIP recording)

If you would like a superior American recording of the Messiah, then Robert Shaw's recording would be the one to go with.  Done before HIP was on the map in America, it was revelatory when compared to the most popular Messiah stateside (also done with Mahlerian size forces) by Eugene Ormandy, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (which still has plenty of fans).  

Btw, William Christie is American although he works in France, so at least one Messiah has an American flavor.

[Bunny]

It is a masterpiece of course, but i find it amusing that the English took such a liking for this particular composition when it is the least English among all of Handel's English works.

Well, the book is written in English and it is taken from the Bible.  For some reason familar English texts in great musical settings do tend to appeal to English speaking audiences.

For some reason by the 1740s, the English public was more interested in Oratorios than Opera Seria -- perhaps reflecting a bored society's need for novelty.  The Messiah came along just at the right time to capture the English imagination (1741).  It was so successful, and the genre so popular that by the time he wrote Hercules (~ 1745), he tried to blend oratorio with opera seria in a new "musical drama"  format which proved to be very unpopular with English audiences.  I don't think the quality of the music in Hercules was actually appreciated until the 20th century, but I may be wrong about that.

[Kuhlau]

To contribute something valueless to this thread, I dare say that the OP would get along just dandily with a Mr Rod Corkin.

FK

[DarkAngel]

My three top picks for Messiah:


1)Christie/Harmonia Mundi
(Sandrine Piau and Andreas Scholl, sounds like hybrid of period/modern with best of both, spacious warm sound,  my reference Messiah)



2)Pinnock/Archiv
(Hogwood period performance style more fully realized by Pinnock)



3)McCreesh/Archiv
(Similar in style to Pinnock and just as good, very slight edge for soloists to Pinnock)

The Hogwood/Lyre Messiah still holds up very well, however with the benefit of time and experience the Pinnock and McCreesh improve upon
and expand style pioneered by Hogwood

[Bunny]

My three top picks for Messiah:


1)Christie/Harmonia Mundi
(Sandrine Piau and Andreas Scholl, sounds like hybrid of period/modern with best of both, spacious warm sound,  my reference Messiah)



2)Pinnock/Archiv
(Hogwood period performance style more fully realized by Pinnock)



3)McCreesh/Archiv
(Similar in style to Pinnock and just as good, very slight edge for soloists to Pinnock)

The Hogwood/Lyre Messiah still holds up very well, however with the benefit of time and experience the Pinnock and McCreesh improve upon
and expand style pioneered by Hogwood

I believe Pinnock is in the original list, but I like your choices.

[Wilhelm Richard]

I don't have any problem leaving Beecham out of the mix.

Your loss.

[Bulldog]

Btw, William Christie is American although he works in France, so at least one Messiah has an American flavor.

And there's the version from Boston Baroque led by Martin Pearlman and recorded in Massachusetts.

[Bulldog]

Your loss.

Such a trite and even meaningless comment.

[DavidW]

Hogwood and Suzuki are my favorites.  I've currently (over the past few months) been listening to Higginbottom/Academy of Ancient Music's recording.  I think this might be the forum where people love to hate that recording, but I think it's interesting, and really it's excellent if you're not hung up on how you want the chorus to sound.

[Coopmv]

A Friend of mine has 5 recordings and I thought he was mad, but you are something else   I also am a lover of choral but only have 3 recordings the best IMO is =  English Concert/Pinnock  on  Archive I do have a tape with the Huddersfield choral society can't remember the other details

When it comes to classical works that are all time masterpieces, I tend to have many versions.  I also have nine versions of St Matthew Passion and currently 16 Beethoven Symphonies Cycles (objective is to get 3-4 additional cycles by year end).  I will probably try to get to about 5-6 versions of Complete Beethoven Sonatas.

[Bulldog]

When it comes to classical works that are all time masterpieces, I tend to have many versions.  I also have nine versions of St Matthew Passion and currently 16 Beethoven Symphonies Cycles (objective is to get 3-4 additional cycles by year end). 

Although I have dozens of Beethoven syms. discs, only one cycle (Harnoncourt).  That's probably because I tend to concentrate on nos. 5, 7 and 9.

[Dr. Dread]

I have this one.



Haven't listened to it much. Maybe I should. 

[Coopmv]

I have this one.



Haven't listened to it much. Maybe I should. 

Is this CD-set OOP?  I have the LP-set but do not seem to have ever seen this CD-set.

[Dr. Dread]

Is this CD-set OOP?  I have the LP-set but do not seem to have ever seen this CD-set.

It may be. This was a download off Amazon.