George Frideric Handel, Sir Thomas Beecham, Jennifer Vyvyan, Monica Sinclair, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Jon Vickers, Giorgio Tozzi - Handel - Messiah / Vyvyan · Sinclair · Vickers · Tozzi · Royal PO · Beecham
CD Release
July 14, 1992
Label
RCA
Number of Discs
3
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Track List
Disc 1
- Messiah: Overture - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Messiah: Recit: Comfort Ye, My People (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Air: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Chorus: And The Glory Of The Lord - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: Thus Saith The Lord Of Hosts (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Air: But Who May Abide (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Chorus: And He Shall Purify - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive (Contralto) - Monica Sinclair
- Messiah: Air & Chorus: O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings (Contralto) - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: For, Behold, Darkness Shall Cover (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Air: The People That Walked In Darkness (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Chorus: For Unto Us A Child Is Born - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Pastoral Symphony - Royal Philharmonic Chorus
- Messiah: Recit: There Were Shepherds Abiding (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
- Messiah: Recit: And The Angel Said Unto Them (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
- Messiah: Recit: And Suddenly There Was (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
- Messiah: Chorus: Glory To God In The Highest - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Air: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
- Messiah: Recit: Then Shall The Eyes (Contralto) - Monica Sinclair
- Messiah: Air: He Shall Feed His Flock; Come Unto Him (Contralto & Soprano) - Monica Sinclair
- Messiah: Chorus: His Yoke Is Easy - John McCarthy
Disc 2
- Messiah: Chorus: Behold The Lamb Of God - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Air: He Was Despised (Contralto) - Monica Sinclair
- Messiah: Chorus: Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Chorus: And With His Stripes We Are Healed - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Chorus: All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: All They That See Him (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Chorus: He Trusted In God - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Air: Behold, And See If There Be (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Recit: He Was Cut Off Out Of The Land (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Air: But Thou Didst Not Leave (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Chorus: Lift Up Your Heads - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Air: How Beautiful Are The Feet (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
- Messiah: Chorus: Their Sound Is Gone Out Into All Lands - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Air: Why Do The Nations So Furious Rage (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Chorus: Lets Us Break Their Bonds Asunder - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: He That Dwelleth In Heaven (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Air: Thou Shalt Break Them (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Chorus: Hallelujah! - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Part III - Air: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
- Messiah: Chorus: Since By Man Came Death - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: Behold, I Tell You A Mystery (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Air: The Trumpet Shall Sound (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Chorus: Worthy Is The Lamb - John McCarthy
Disc 3
- Messiah: Recit: Unto Which Of The Angels (Tenor) - Jon Vickers
- Messiah: Chorus: Let All The Angels Of God Worship Him - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Air: Thou Art Gone Up On High (Bass) - Giorgio Tozzi
- Messiah: Chorus: The Lord Gave The Word - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Recit: Then Shall Be Brought To Pass (Contralto) - Monica Sinclair
- Messiah: Duet: O Death, Where Is Thy Sting? (Contralto & Tenor) - Monica Sinclair
- Messiah: Chorus: But Thanks Be To God - John McCarthy
- Messiah: Air: If God Be For Us (Soprano) - Jennifer Vyvyan
Additional Information
Sir Thomas Beecham's Messiah has become notorious among baroque purists (like this writer) for embodying the worst excesses of pre-1960 Handel performance: ponderous tempos, stentorian opera singers, huge lumbering choruses and orchestras, crashing cymbals, clanging triangles.... Well, we'll need a new straw man: this performance is WONDERFUL. Jon Vickers and Giorgio Tozzi negotiate Handel's writing surprisingly well; Jennifer Vyvyan takes to it naturally. The chorus and orchestra (yes, including trombones, tuba, triangle, and cymbals) may obscure the part-writing, but they fill the music with power, grandeur, and faith. If Mozart could re-orchestrate Messiah, why not Beecham? This may not be Handel's Messiah as such, it may even be a period piece itself--but it's magnificent. --Matthew Westphal - Amazon.com essential recording