Handel - Messiah / Clift · Robbin · Fowler · Ledbetter · Boston Baroque, Pearlman

Customer Rating:
Summary: Messiah
Comment: Messiah by the Boston Baroque is one of the most interesting I've heard in some years. To me it was more in line with the instrumentation intended. The soloists are very good, the only critical point I have would be some of the intonation on the strings - otherwise a great addition to my library. A lasting purchase.

Doug Freeman
Nova Scotia
Canada

Customer Rating:
Summary: Typical clarity and quality for Boston Baroque
Comment: The last two or three seasons, I've been sampling various recordings of Messiah, and ordered this copy last December. Though it took me almost a year to listen to this recording, it was, for the most part, well worth the wait. As on all the Boston Baroque recordings I've heard, this CD features crystal clear articulation from the performing forces. The soloists are very capable, and for this listener, it was a joy to hear the soloists singing on their voices, rather than being handicapped through the guise of no vibrato in early music. My only caution is that the tempi in almost all cases tend to be on the fast side, almost rushed sometimes. It is fortunate that the performers are well up to the task, as their brisk, sprite articulation is a nice alternative to other recordings out there. While, as a performer, I don't necessarily agree with some of these choices, it is nice to have something different than current recordings available. Well worth it

Customer Rating:
Summary: Careful with the MP3 !
Comment: I haven't heard this performance. I've just ordered it because of the positive ratings and recommendations it's gotten. BUT... I wanted to grab a little preview from the MP3 samples, and what do I find but another amazon snafu. The MP3 takes you directly to the CD of the Robert Shaw Chorale, hardly likely to be of comparable merit.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great, great, great!
Comment: I recommend this for you or for a present for someone or for presents for many people. It is beautiful. Wonderful to play now, especially during Christmas season, but can listen to whenever. The booklet containing all the words is also wonderful- it contains the words in many languages. Uplifting- brings joy to me on my way to work.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Messiah reborn
Comment: This is one of the finest recordings of Messiah on the market. It's tempos are brisk, the period instruments a delight to the ear and the solosists outstanding. I return to this performance, over the several other outstanding ones that I own, time and again. As a patron of the ensemble I might be biased in its favor, but in Boston, where they perform, there are many options when looking for a truly uplifting presentation of Handel's most famous work and it is to Boston Baroque that I often look for the spiritual uplift an outstanding Messiah can provide.