George Frederick Handel - Messiah [John Alldis] (2002)

Cd1
1-1		(1) Overture	4:03
1-2		(2) Tenor Recitative / Comfort Ye My People	3:01
1-3		(3) Tenor Aria / Every Valley Shall Be Exalted	3:47
1-4		(4) Chorus / And The Glory Of The Lord	3:02
1-5		(5) Bass Recitative / Thus Saith The Lord	1:37
1-6		(6) Bass Aria / But Who May Abide The Day Of His Coming?	5:07
1-7		(7) Chorus / And He Shall Purify	2:41
1-8		(8) Contralto Recitative / Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive	0:26
1-9		(9) Contralto Aria And Chorus / O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion	6:20
1-10		(10) Bass Recitative / For, Behold, A Darkness Shall Cover The Earth	2:17
1-11		(11) Bass Aria / The People That Walked In Darkness	4:02
1-12		(12) Chorus / For Unto Us A Child Is Born	4:29
1-13		(13) Pastoral Symphony	3:38
1-14		(14) Soprano Recitative / There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Field	0:42
1-15		(15) Soprano Recitative / And The Angel Said Unto Them	0:41
1-16		(16) Soprano Recitative / And Suddenly There Was With The Angel	0:19
1-17		(17) Chorus / Glory To God	2:05
1-18		(18) Soprano Aria / Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion	4:41
1-19		(19) Contralto Recitative / Then Shall The Eyes Of The Blind Be Opened	0:28
1-20		(20) Contralto And Soprano Aria / He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shepherd	6:00
1-21		(21) Chorus / His Yoke Is Easy, And His Burthen Is Light	2:23
1-22		(22) Chorus / Behold The Lamb Of God	3:19
1-23		(23) Contralto Aria / He Was Despised	4:55

CD2
2-1		(24) Chorus / Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs	2:12
2-2		(25) Chorus / And With His Stripes We Are Healed	2:36
2-3		(26) Chorus / All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray	3:45
2-4		(27) Tenor Recitative / All They That See Him, Laugh Him To Scorn	0:48
2-5		(28) Chorus / He Trusted In God That He Would Deliver Him	2:19
2-6		(29) Tenor Recitative / Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart	1:51
2-7		(30) Tenor Arioso / Behold, And See If There Be Any Sorrow	1:35
2-8		(31) Tenor Recitative / He Was Cut Off Out Of The Land Of The Living	0:20
2-9		(32) Tenor Aria / But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul In Hell	2:47
2-10		(33) Chorus / Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates	3:35
2-11		(38) Soprano Aria / How Beautiful Are The Feet Of Them	2:45
2-12		(39) Chorus / Their Sound Is Gone Out Into All Lands	1:54
2-13		(40) Bass Aria / Why Do The Nations So Furiously Rage	3:14
2-14		(41) Chorus / Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder	1:50
2-15		(42) Tenor Recitative / He That Dwelleth In Heaven	0:17
2-16		(43) Tenor Aria / Thou Shalt Break Them	2:08
2-17		(44) Chorus / Hallelujah!	4:11
2-18		(45) Soprano Aria / I Know That My Redeemer Liveth	7:18
2-19		(46) Chorus / Since By Man Came Death	2:05
2-20		(47) Bass Recitative / Behold, I Tell You A Mystery	0:36
2-21		(48) Bass Aria / The Trumpet Shall Sound	4:16
2-22		(49) Contralto Recitative / Then Shall Be Brought To Pass	0:18
2-23		(50) Contralto And Tenor Duet / O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?	1:05
2-24		(51) Chorus / But Thanks Be To God	2:13
2-25		(52) Soprano Aria / If God Be For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?	5:15
2-26		(53) Chorus / Worthy Is The Lamb	8:40

Bass Vocals – Ulrik Cold
Contralto Vocals – Alfreda Hodgson
Soprano Vocals – Felicity Lott
Tenor Vocals – Philip Langridge

The London Philharmonic Choir
The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor – John Alldis

Recorded At – All Saints Church, Tooting, London

This performance, from 1979, has long been a best-seller, although for the life of me I can't figure out why. Released by Christian label Sparrow, the condescending liner notes claim that this recording was made with the intention to be "more friendly to the "man in the pew", (since by inference they're as dumb as rocks and need pandering to) and there was no intention to be "authentic or purist." Fine and good, but couldn't they at least attempt to create a competent recording? The 'artists' are all over the map, from tenor Philip Langridge who is strident and brassy in his arias, to bass Ulrik Cold who sounds like HE'S the one being shaken on his forced and unpleasant melismas, to soprano Felicity Lott, who doesn't quite hit the high notes. The Philharmonic Choir chew through their pieces with nasal, widespread pronunciations, and the tempos throughout are leaden. What truly surprises me is that notable conductor John Alldis is at the head of this performance - it sounds as if some amateur is in charge. If this is the best that Sparrow could manage, its a wonder that it's managed to sell all these years. Then again, perhaps the pastors have been plugging it among their congregations, it certainly doesn't deserve success based on its own meager merits. ---BDW, messiah-guide.com

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