Rene Jacobs, Freiburger Barockorchester, The Choir of Clare College - George Frideric Handel: Messiah (2006)

René Jacobs' performance of Handel's 1750 version of Messiah is remarkable for the fresh insights he brings to such a familiar work. His reading is fleet but never hurried, and movements flow fluidly from each other, virtually without pause. This Messiah is an integrated whole, whose ebbing and flowing move it inexorably toward its climaxes, avoiding the usual sense that the oratorio is merely a string of separate, thematically related numbers. The speed of some sections, and certain unconventional articulations, can at first seem eccentric, but Jacobs' interpretive decisions are always guided by the meaning of the texts, and when the initial surprise fades, seem obviously to be the best choices possible. In the sections that can be ponderous in more conventional performances, the continuo, prominent without being overpowering, provides the rhythmic engine that keeps the momentum alive. The free use of ornamentation by the soloists, chorus, and instrumentalists gives the familiar melodic lines a snap that makes them sound freshly invented.
Jacobs' performers sing and play with a lightness and flexibility perfectly suited to his interpretation. Tenor Kobie van Rensburg and countertenor Lawrence Zazzo have both the clarion tone and vocal fire that characterize the best soloists in English oratorio. For the most part, Neal Davis' bass matches their standard, but lacks the weight necessary for some of the solos, and he occasionally swallows important syllables. Soprano Kerstin Avemo and alto Patricia Bardon have voices that are pure toned and supple. The Choir of Clare College sings with transparency and breathtaking agility, and Freiberger Barockorchester plays with a warm tone and rhythmic crispness.

–Stephen Eddins

Performer:
Kerstin Avemo, soprano
Patricia Bardon, alto
Lawrence Zazzo, contre-ténor
Kobie van Rensburg, ténor
Neal Davies, basse
The Choir of Clare College
Freiburger Barockorchester
Direction – René Jacobs

Tracklist:
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Messiah, HWV 56
CD1:
PART I
01. Sinfony
02. Accompagnato (tenor): Comfort y, my people, saith your God
03. Air (tenor): Every valley shall be exalted
04. Chorus: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
05. Accompagnato (bass): Thus saith the Lord of Hosts
06. Air (countertenor): But who may abide the day of His coming?
07. Chorus: And He sahll purify the sons of Levi
08. Recitative (alto): Behold, a virgin shall conceive/Air (alto) & Chorus: O, thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, arise
09. Accompagnato (bass): For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
10. Air (bass): The people that walked in darkness
11. Chorus: For unto us a child is born
12. Sinfonia pastorale/Recitative (soprano): There were shepherds abiding in the field And
13. Chorus: Glory to God in the highest
14. Air (soprano): Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
15. Recitative (alto): Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened/ Air (alto & countertenor): He shall feed His flock like a shepherd
16. Chorus: His yoke is easy, and His burthen is light
PART II
17. Chorus: Behold the lamb of God
18. Air (alto): He was despised and rejected of men
19. Chorus: Surely He hath borne our griefs
20. Chorus: And with His stripes we are healed
21. Chorus: All we like sheep have gone astray
CD2:
01. Accompagnato (tenor): All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn
02. Chorus: He trusted in God that He would deliver Him
03. Accompagnato (tenor): Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
04. Arioso (tenor): Behold and see if there be any sorrow
05. Accompagnato (soprano): He was cut off out of the land of the living / Air (soprano): But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell
06. Chorus: Lift up your heads, O ye gates
07. Recitative (tenor): Unto which of the angels said He at any time
08. Chorus: Let all the angels of God worship Him
09. Air (countertenor): Thou art gone up on high
10. Chorus: The Lord gave the world
11. Air (countertenor): How beautiful are the feet of them
12. Chorus: Their sound is gone out into all lands
13. Air (bass): Why do the nations so furiously rage together
14. Chorus: Let us break their bonds asunder
15. Recitative (tenor): He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn/Air (tenor): Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron
16. Chorus: Hallelujah!
PART III
17. Air (soprano): I know that my redeemer liveth
18. Chorus: Since by man came death
19. Accompagnato (bass): Behold, I tell you a mystery/Air (bass): The trumpet shall sound
20. Recitative (alto): Then shall be brought/ Duet (alto & tenor): O Death, where is thy sting?
21. Chorus: But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory
22. Air (countertenor): If God be for us, who can be against us?
23. Chorus: Worthy was the Lamb that was slain Amen