Search - George Frideric Handel, Valentin Radu, Julianne Baird :: Handel - Messiah / Baird · Lane · Price · Deas · Radu [Highlights]

Very good buy.

01/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I should have known better. When my copy of this CD arrived in the mail I immediately tore off the packaging and put it in the CD player...and had to postpone the walk I was about to take because the power of the music made tears come to my eyes. It was totally involving; by the end of the Hallelujah Chorus I was exhausted! I'm not one of the experts who has fifty different copies of the Messiah, but I have heard it both recorded and live every Christmas of my life, and this one is right up there. I confess I didn't expect it to be so good, for the price. The only thing I found that I didn't like was the unusual accelerandos, which tended to appear just when I was ready to lean back into a slow section. Also, there is a very limited number of tracks compared with most Messiah Highlights CDs; but since it's half or a quarter the price, what can you expect? Overall, I think this CD is an excellent buy."

Budget Messiah a Great Bargain

01/16/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To get soprano Julianne Baird and the excellent bass Kevin Deas--two of the finest young singers on the Early Music Scene now--on a budget Messiah and get all their arias, plus some excellent choral work from this Philadelphia-based baroque group, is a fantastic Christmas gift.
Despite the occasional eccentricity of tempo and phrasing, the Romanian conductor Radu gives a lively performance in a neat space. For Ms. Baird and G.F. Handel, one expects to pay full price. This is a great find. Go for it!"