Here are some of the responses I've received to the question recently asked-Handel's Messiah-what's your favorite recording? I've been playing excerpts from three different recordings/styles at pre-concert talks during this Messiah season. Since Handel left no one definitive score, its fascinating to compare approaches: Thomas Beecham's recording from 1959 with Eugene Goosen's high octane orchestration Leonard Bernstein, 1956 who re-orders the score, makes some cuts and uses a countertenor (unusual in 1956) Richard Bonynge in 1969, highly ornamented. Here's what people are saying: Paul: You won me over to the Sir Thomas Beecham rendition with all the noon-traditional instruments he included. A little education can go a long way. Denise: My first and still favorite, the one with Eileen Farrell (note: Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). Although the Pinnock with Arleen Auger still ranks high with me. Sheena: Here's one on period instruments: Pual McCreesh with the Gabrieli Consort and Players. DG Archiv 453 464-2. Dorothea Roschmann, Susan Gritton, Charles Daniels, Neal Davies. It's light, fluid, buoyant (tempi sometimes a little too fast for my liking) and very persuasive! Worth hearing even if you don't like every aspect of it. The soloists are delicious. Brian: Without hesitation or question, the Beecham. So much personality-of course, with my (Giorgio) Tozzi fetish, I think he sings it better than anyone else as well. John: My favorite Messiah is a recording made in the 60s with Colin Davis 00000178-6a23-ddab-a97a-6a3b5cb70000and the English Chamber Orchestra (on Phillips) with beautiful voices, including Helen Watts and Heather Harper. I got it on LP in the very early 80s when I first began listening to classical music a whole lot. There are many very good recent recordings, but this one is special to me. I first heard it during that period of discovery when all this was new to me, and it conveyed all the right emotions. Even though it is by no means a period instrument performance, I found out later that some of the numbers were taken at a pretty brisk pace for the times. With its rich sound, it may not be for purists, but it's my favorite. I eventually got it on CD. Patrick: Robert Shaw conducting,with Judith Raskin, Florence Kopleff, Richard Lewis and Robert Conant. On RCA. Barbara: Who doesn't adore boy sopranos, but Hogwood? Don't get me started. Without re-listneing to my personal record collection-please don't make me-I would have to say my old Joan Sutherland recording with Grace Bumbry, Kenneth McKellar and David Ward, with Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Symphony and Chorus. It may be considered dated in some respects today but Sutherland's ornamentation created quite a stir when it first came out. And, for comic relief when needed during the holidays, I recommend The Cambridge Buskers Handel and Bach. Best heard accompanied by a hefty dose of eggnog, properly laced. Casey: EMI CDS-7-49027 2: The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Toronto Symphony conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, with Kathleen Battle, Florence Quivar, John Aler and Samuel Ramey. Thomas: Adele Addison, Russell Oberlin, David Lloyd, William Warfield; [caption id="attachment_17239" align="alignright" width="79" caption="Russell Oberlin...AWE!"]00000178-6a23-ddab-a97a-6a3b5cb80000[/caption] Westminster Choir, New York Philharmonic. I grew up on this one, believe it or not. I know it's not very authentic, but it was one of my first intros to this sort of thing, and I treasure the memory. I was in AWE of Russell Oberlin, and never understood how he could do that! Jeff: My favorite commercial recording would have to be the first classical 00000178-6a23-ddab-a97a-6a3b5cb90000recording I ever bought, when I was in the 9th grade....with tenor Leopold Simoneau, Nan Merriman and Pierette Alarie. That's all I can recall, sorry. (Note: Herman Scherchen conducts the Vienna Academy Chorus and Vienna State Opera Orchestra now on CD from DGG 471-232. This is the little recorded 1742 Dublin version) Jim: I will choose two: Since I sang in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus under [caption id="attachment_17271" align="alignright" width="69" caption="Robert Shaw"]00000178-6a23-ddab-a97a-6a3b5cba0000[/caption] Robert Shaw in the 1980s, I would recommend his recording with soloists Kaaren Erickson, Sylvia McNair, Alfreda Hodgson, Jon Humphrey and Richard Stilwell, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus (TelarcDG-10093-2). The other is an excellent production led by John Rutter, with soloists Joanne Lunn, Melanie Marshall, James Gilchrist and Christopher Purves, with the Cambridge Singers and tye Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Now. What's your favorite recording of Messiah?
