COMPOSERS: Handel
LABELS: Decca
WORKS: Messiah
PERFORMER: Ambrosian Singers, ECO/ Richard Bonynge
CATALOGUE NO: 433 740-2 ADD (1970)
To add to the 28 complete versions of Handel’s Messiah currently available in the catalogue, here is a decidedly ‘operatic’ reissue. This performance represents a time-warp to modern ears, with heavy vibrato from the soloists, mannered vocal decoration, and inappropriate seamlessness. The contralto, Huguette Tourangeau, might be singing Negro spirituals, so unidiomatic her delivery, while Sutherland’s wide vibrato relates more to Donizetti than to Handel. The English Chamber Orchestra and Ambrosian Singers provide reliable performances. Annette Morreau
Handel: Messiah
To add to the 28 complete versions of Handel’s Messiah currently available in the catalogue, here is a decidedly ‘operatic’ reissue. This performance represents a time-warp to modern ears, with heavy vibrato from the soloists, mannered vocal decoration, and inappropriate seamlessness. The contralto, Huguette Tourangeau, might be singing Negro spirituals, so unidiomatic her delivery, while Sutherland’s wide vibrato relates more to Donizetti than to Handel. The English Chamber Orchestra and Ambrosian Singers provide reliable performances. Annette Morreau
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:30 pm