Composer: George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Work: Messiah (Foundling Hospital Version 1754)

Orchestra: The Academy Of Ancient Music (on authentic instruments)

Conductor: Christopher Hogwood

Choir: Choir Of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (Directed By Simon Preston)

Sopranos: Judith Nelson, Emma Kírkby

Contralto: Carolyn Watkinson

Tenor: Paul Elliott

Bass: David Thomas

Label: Decca, Edition De L'Oiseau-Lyre (2-CD) 430 488-2

Editorial Reviews
David Hurwitz @ www.amazon.com (Essential recording)
This is the Messiah that started it all--the first period instrument performance recorded with a choir of men and boys. It introduced music lovers the world over to Christopher Hogwood, Emma Kirkby, and a whole host of performers who have since become ubiquitous as the "English Early Music Mafia," appearing as they do under zillions of different ensemble names on a variety of labels. Hogwood's performance still holds its own, however, as one of the finest and freshest available. A first-rate effort.

"songbear" @ www.amazon.com
On many versions of Messiah available on CD, the choir is wonderful but the soloists' performances seem lacking. Either the diction is poor, they can't seem to handle the demands of the long runs this music calls for, or they approach the music the same as they would a Wagnerian Opera. Not the case here. Each solo is sung with a perfect combination of technical accuracy and emotion that will knock your socks off. David Thomas is simply stunning. You won't be skipping over any solos on this album, and the chorus and orchestra are perfect. Still as fresh as the day it was released. The standard by which other versions will be compared.

George Alexeief @ www.amazon.com
I, of course, echo the praise heaped on this version, that previous reviewers have articulated. Having sung and heard innumerable performances of this beloved work, it was a revelation to listen through this 2-cd boxed set (with a 115-page booklet of detailed liner notes!!). This orchestration was designed for a more intimate space than a large concert hall, and has the sound and feel of chamber music. Rather than a bombastic and heavy large hall production, Hogwood shows the brilliance that can result when the music is played sparsely, beautifully, and transparently. With this Oxford ensemble, every performer has the stage feet of a soloist, and the execution is spirited and flawless. With this CD, Hogwood and his performers have achieved a divine-like perfection appropriate to the music's subject. Of special note is the use of the English traditional men and boys choir. The clarity and refinement of the choral voices, with boys in the treble parts, is amazing.

Many years ago, while vacationing in England, I had an opportunity to hear an evensong performance of Cambridge's King's College Choir. Like the Oxford choir in this recording, the Cambridge choir also was all-male with boys in the treble parts. The clarity and beauty of that live performance was astonishing and very moving (all of us culturally-starved Americans were moved to tears!), and this CD set brings me right back to that experience. If you're wrestling with which version of the Messiah to buy, wrestle no more -- this one is *it*!