2. Comfort Ye, My People/3. Every Valley Shall Be Exalted
4. And The Glory Of The Lord
5. Thus Saith The Lord/6. But Who May Abide /7. And He Shall Purify
8. Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive/9. O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion
Messiah: Part One: 10. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover The Earth - Bass Recitative; 11. The People That Walked In Darkness - Bass Air
12. For Unto Us A Child Is Born
13. Pifa - 'Pastoral Symphony'/14a. There Were Shepherds/14b. And Lo, The Angel Of The Lord Came Upon Them/15. And The Angel Said Unto Them/16. And Suddenly There Was With The Angel/17. Glory To God
18. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion
19. Then Shall The Eyes Of The Blind
20. He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shepherd
21. His Yoke Is Easy
22. Behold The Lamb Of God
23. He Was Despised
24. Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs
Track Listings (18) - Disc #2
25. And With His Stripes We Are Healed/26. All We Like Sheep
27. All They That See Him/28. He Trusted In God
29. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart/30. Behold, And See If There Be Any Sorrow/31. He Was Cut Off Out Of The Land Of The Living/32. But Thou Didst Not Leave
33. Lift Up Your Heads
34. Unto Which Of The Angels/35. Let All The Angels Of God Worship Him
36. Thou Art Gone Up On High
37. The Lord Gave The Word
38. How Beautiful Are The Feet
39. Their Sound Is Gone Out
40. Why Do The Nations?/41. Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder
42. He That Dwelleth In Heaven/43. Thou Shalt Break Them
44. Hallelujah
45. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
46. Since By Man Came Death
47. Behold, I Tell You A Mystery/48. The Trumpet Shall Sound
49. Then Shall Be Brought To Pass/50. O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?/51. But Thanks Be To God
The truest rendition of the Greatest Oratorio Ever
imperatorsean | Pueblo, CO United States | 08/13/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I scoff at anyone who says that this recording is boring or has poor sound quality. I have found the recording to be the best out of all my Messiah recordings as well as the recording that is the truest to Handel's original intentions and scope. Most copies of Messiah contain overly large choirs that fail to capture many of the nuances that Handel built into this Oratorio. The smaller orchestra/choir size allows the listener to hear many artfully performed and skillfully composed sections that one would miss in a recording with a larger orchestra. This CD is skillfully executed. Of particular favorite is the third piece of the Part Two, SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS. The chorus is at its best here and treats the middle adagio section with much grace and humility. This is the premier copy of Handel's Messiah and should be heard so that the listener can appreciate what Handel had originally intended before conductors made the mistake of trying to enlarge the already great piece."
The Complete, Traditional Messiah
P. Gray | Yardville, NJ USA | 12/31/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had a version of the Messiah on vinyl and needed to replace it. After listening to five other versions of the Messiah at Barnes and Noble, I purchased this one. I was looking for version that had soloists I could understand, great sound and a chorus that sounded like more than 12 people. This one had it all. The airs are well done. The elocution of the soloists was excellant. You can understand every word. If you want a complete Messiah, with a traditional sound, then this is the one to buy. Robert Shaw made effort to capture the original essence of the original Messiah. It shows. This version is not as somber as the old vinyl one I have featuring Jerome Hines and others."
Brilliant Sound
Robert Skrinyaz | Boston, MA | 12/08/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"True to the Shaw tradition, this recording is magnificent, well executed, and accurate. It is tough to go through the holidays without being able to look forward to a new Shaw recording, but his genius for choral work is showcased here for the ages."
Possibly the best rendition
Samuel D. Swinehart | Kirkland, Washington | 12/06/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have to concur with Mr. Scott A. Steiner in saying that this is one of, if not the best rendition of Handel's Messiah I have heard. Additionally, the way the voices circle, diverge and then coalese in 'O Death ..' is just stunning. An outstanding recording."