[12/25/2011] Christmas Day edition: A composite performance of the whole of Part I of Handel's "Messiah" (continued)

It's astonishingly easy to recommend a single Messiah recording. Colin Davis's 1966 London Symphony version, with an excellent solo quartet, was something of a revelation when it was released, but more importantly remains a riveting musical experience. Plus, it's offered at an exceedingly modest price. A no-brainer.

OKAY, HERE WE GO ON OUR JOURNEY

THROUGH PART I OF MESSIAH

Back in Handel's time, an overture was designed more to get the show going than to give us any particular feel for what kind of a show it's going to be, and while I've grown to love Messiah's, I remember how modestly suited it seemed to me when I first got to know it to the task of introducing such a grandiose enterprise as Messiah.

I thought we might make a whole production of this overture, or "symphony," or "sinfony," investigating how its performance has evolved with the onset of baroque "authenticity," and mostly been lost to us. Instead, I thought we'd just hear a few approaches:

* an "authentic"-style one

Tthough this is actually one of the better such performances I've heard, yes, it sounds like Handel has a bad case of hiccoughs. By the way, in nearly 40 years of doing record listings, I don't believe I've ever before included "[sic]" in the identification of a performer.

* the solution posited by Mozart in his orchestration of Messiah

Note particularly the coloring and sustaining use of winds, especially brasses. Actually, the Mozart version itself can sound wildly different, as I could show you if we allowed ourselves to be sidetracked. However, if we were to go down that path, we'd never get any closer to our destination today.

* and, finally, a nice compromise, from Colin Davis's second recorded Messiah

As noted above, Davis's 1966 Philips recording still seems to me to stand comfortably atop the Messiah discography. Unfortunately, we're not going to hear anything from it today, because in the interest of making my life a touch easier, I set myself the condition that we weren't going to be going back to any LPs, and while I actually once had the 1966 Davis Messiah on CD, it was one of a large number of CDs that got stolen from my office a bunch of years ago when we were having that sort of thing happen. I suppose I really ought to replace it. The 1984 Munich remake isn't as good, but it has a lot to recommend it; in fact, later in Part I we're going to hear a whole chunk from it. (If you take my advice, you'll avoid Sir Colin's unfortunate later -- one doesn't dare say "final" -- Messiah, in the LSO Live series. It verges on the catastrophic.)

(For an older-style performance of the Symphony, listen again to Otto Klemperer's in Friday night's preview. UPDATE: I've added this performance to the UPDATE "add-in" box below.)

No. 1. Symphony
Ama Deus [sic] Ensemble, Valentin Radu, cond. Vox, recorded July 6-8, 1994
[orch. Mozart] Lausanne Instrumental Ensemble, Michel Corboz, cond. Erato, recorded January 1990
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis, cond. Philips, recorded Oct.-Nov. 1984

UPDATE: ANOTHER TAKE ON MOZART'S VERSION
(PLUS AN OLDER-STYLE PERFORMANCE OF HANDEL'S)

I was double-checking the audio clips, and as soon as I heard once again the opening of Michel Corboz's performance of Mozart's version of the overture, I decided maybe we better had hear another performance, to drive home the point that saying "it's Mozart's version" doesn't tell us what it's going to sound like.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras, cond. RCA/BMG, recorded Jan. 1-5, 1988

And as long as we're doing add-ins, here's the Klemperer performance that we heard Friday night.

Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, cond. EMI, recorded 1965

IN "COMFORT YE," ONE OF HANDEL'S GLORIOUS
ACHIEVEMENTS, WE HAVE TOUGH ACTS TO FOLLOW

After hearing Jon Vickers's stupendous accounts last night and Nicolai Gedda's perfectly fine one (with Otto Klemperer) Friday night, we have to tread carefully. I could just fob off an "authentic" performance on you, which makes the music sound reasonably pleasant but nothing more; okay, I've plunked one in. Or we could go in a rather different direction.

With regard to the German-language performance below, it's important to remember that in the land of Handel's birth the locals have never stopped thinking of him as one of their own, even if he himself did (he considered himself a true Englishman, named George Frideric Handel, not Georg Friedrich Händel), and a lot of the pioneering efforts of the big Handel revival of the 1950s and '60s, including a significant part of the new scholarship, including the launch of the new critical edition of the works, was centered in Germany. It's worth noting that Fritz Wunderlich indeed sang a fair amount of Handel.

One note on the air: There are, broadly speaking, two approaches to "Every valley": "slow" (more or less in the same mood as "Comfort ye") and "fast," the latter more in keeping with the "modern" tendency to faster tempos in baroque music. In this case the impulse to quickness seems to me bring gain; I just don't think the air is melodically distinguished enough to sustain the more traditional slower approach. (Really, if Fritz Wunderlich can't pull it off . . . .) So points here to Bruce Fowler's performance, though I don't think it needs to be this quick. (UPDATE: I've listened now a couple more times to the Wunderlich performance, and I'm thinking I may want to go back on that business of "Fritz Wunderlich can't pull off" selling "Every valley" at his moderate tempo. I'm thinking I just may be prepared to buy.)

QUICK NOMENCLATURAL NOTE: Again, we're following published scores in distinguishing between recitatives that are accompanied by orchestra, accompagnati, which count in the musical numbering, and the occasional straight continuo-accompanied recits, which don't.

No. 2. Accompagnato, tenor, "Tröste dich, mein Volk" ("Comfort ye, my people")
No. 3. Air, tenor, "Alle Tale macht hoch erhaben" ("Every valley shall be exalted")

Accompagnato
Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
The voice that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

-- Isaiah XL:1-3

Air
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low: the crooked straight and the rough places plain.

-- Isaiah XL:4

Bruce Fowler, tenor; Boston Baroque Orchestra, Martin Pearlman, cond. Telarc, recorded May 18-22, 1992[in German] Fritz Wunderlich, tenor; Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Mendes, cond. Live performance, March 20, 1959

DOES ANYTHING NEED TO BE SAID ABOUT THE

GREAT CHORUS "AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD"?

We don't have quite the performance I might wish, but we won't go too far wrong with that master chorus trainer Robert Shaw.

No. 4. Chorus, "And the glory of the Lord"

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

--Isaiah, XL:5

Atlanta Symphony Chamber Chorus, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw, cond. Telarc, recorded Dec. 18-20, 1983

WITH THE ACCOMPAGNATO "THUS SAITH THE LORD,"
WE GET OUR FIRST BOLT OF DRAMATIC THUNDER

And nobody understood that better than Sir Thomas Beecham. We're going to hear it from the first and last of his three recordings, made more than 30 years apart. Note that both times Sir Thomas assigned the great air that's set up by this recitative to his bass. Nowadays it's more often given to the alto, and I thought we should hear this split-verdict alternative.I love the sound of a great Maureen Forrester-style contralto in "But who may abide," but I thought we'd something different: a lighter, lither, and unmistakably Italianate alternative -- Lucia Valentini Terrani is fondly remembered for some winning Rossini (Isabella in L'Italiana in Algeri) at the Met c1975. We might recall that in his musical passions and palette Handel was one of the greatest Italianate composers of his day.

No. 5. Accompagnato, bass, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts"
No. 6. Air, alto or bass, "But who may abide the day of his coming?"

Accompagnato
Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts: Yet once, a little while, and I will shake the heav'ns and the earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come.

-- Haggai, II:6-7

The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, ev'n the messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

-- Malachi, III:1

Air
But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire.

-- Malachi, III:2

Harold Williams, bass-baritone; Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Beecham, cond. Columbia (U.K.)/Pearl, recorded Nov.-Dec. 1927[orch. Goossens] Giorgio Tozzi, bass; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. RCA/BMG, recorded 1959
Gwynne Howell, bass (in No. 5); Lucia Valentini Terrani, mezzo-soprano (in No. 6); I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone, cond. Europa, recorded c1989

"AND HE SHALL PURIFY" IS TOUGH FOR THE CHORUS
WITH THAT PASSAGEWORK BUILT INTO THE TUNE

You'd think that the trend to smaller choruses brought on by the "authentic"-practice movement would make this easier to perform, but in my experience the result has been mostly to trivialize the piece. So instead we're going to go in the opposite direction: continuing on with Sir Thomas Beecham's 1959 recording, with its sizable (though not enormous) chorus. Sir Thomas, you'll note, takes a fairly moderate tempo to accommodate that melodic passagework -- sensible! In the end, he makes the piece count in a way that not many performers manage.

No. 7. Chorus, "And he shall purify"

And he shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

[orch. Goossens] Royal Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. RCA/BMG, recorded 1959

I DON'T THINK I CAN SAY ANYTHING TO ADD
TO THE DELIGHT OF "O THOU THAT TELLEST"

I might note, though, the austere, humble beauty of the preceding recitative -- true recit, note, not accompagnato.

Recitative, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive"
No. 8. Air, alto, and chorus, "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion"

Recitative
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, "God with us."

-- Isaiah VII:14

Air
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up; be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: Behold your God!

-- Isaiah XL:9

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

Isaiah LX:1

Alfreda Hodgson, contralto; Atlanta Symphony Chamber Chorus, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw, cond. Telarc, recorded Dec. 18-20, 1983

NOW HANDEL GIVES THE BASS AN OPPORTUNITY
TO CREATE A MOMENT OF REAL MUSICAL VISION

In last year's Sunday Classics Messiah post, one of the principal ways we looked at the oratorio was through the bass's eyes with audio illustrations by the wonderful American bass-baritone Donald Gramm and the German bass (singing in his own language) Franz Crass. Even if the bass loses his first potential aria opportunity, No. 5, "But who may abide the day of His coming," to the alto, retainiing only the dramatic setup recitative, No. 4, "Thus saith the Lord," he's still left with three stupendous arias, one in each part. The later ones are hugely energetic bravura showpieces: "Why do the nations so furiously rage together?" in Part II, and "The trumpet shall sound" in Part III. The Part I accompagnato and air are something else, all the more so coming as they do right after the uncomplicatedly joyful "O thou that tellest good tidings."

As fine as Samuel Ramey's performance is, I couldn't help but bring back Donald Gramm's for an encore performance. To me this wondrous sequence sounds if anything fresher than the day it was written.

No. 9. Accompagnato, bass, "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth"
No. 10. Air, bass, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light"

Accompagnato
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and HIs glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

-- Isaiah, LX:2-3

Air
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. And they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

-- Isaiah, IX:2

Samuel Ramey, bass; Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis, cond. EMI, recorded c1986
Donald Gramm, bass-baritone; Zimbler Sinfonietta, Thompson Stone, cond. (Boston Handel and Haydn Society). BOMC Classics Record Library, recorded c1957

IN MESSIAH SEASONS PAST WE'VE TAKEN NOTE OF
THE GREAT CHORUS "FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN"

It brings to a rousing climax the first part of Part I, and what seems unmistakable to me is that the miracle Handel is celebrating is not exclusively the birth of a particular child but that of "a" child -- with all the miraculous possibilities attendant on the occasion. Also, among the names that this child "shall be called," note how Handel separates and italicizes "the Prince of Peace."

No. 11. Chorus, "For unto us a child is born"

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace!

-- Isaiah, IX:6

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis, cond. EMI, recorded c1986

The "Pifa," or "Pastoral Symphony," is a much-played Handel excerpt, but I'm not sure the musical material is substantial enough to sustain the drawn-out approach of many older-style performances. Still, in this matchup of "authentic"-style vs. working-musician's style, give me Ormandy any day.

12. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
Ama Deus [again, sic] Ensemble, Valentin Radu, cond. Vox, recorded July 6-8, 1994
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia/CBS/Sony, recorded c1958

HANDEL BRINGS IN THE SOPRANO FOR A LUMINOUS

SEQUENCE FEATURING EXQUISITE TONE-PAINTING

And we continue with the Ormandy Messiah for the luxurious presence in a Handel oratorio of of the great Eileen Farrell. The soprano's little solos in this mixture of straight recitative and accompagnato are building to the grand chorus "Glory to God," but we shouldn't fail to notice the delicious tone-painting along the way. I mean, has an angel ever been announced more angelically, musically speaking, than Handel does at the start of No. 13?

Recitative, soprano, "There were shepherds abiding in the field"
13. Accompagnato, soprano, "And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them"
Recitative, soprano, "And the angel said unto them"
14. Accompagnato, soprano, "And suddenly there was with the angel"
15. Chorus, "Glory to God in the highest"

There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

-- Luke, II:8

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid.

-- Luke, II:9

And the angel said unto them: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

-- Luke, II:10-11

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying:

-- Luke, II:13

Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men!

-- Luke, II:14

Eileen Farrell, soprano (in Nos. 13-14), Mormon Tabernacle Choir (in No. 15), Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia/CBS/Sony, recorded c1958

LET'S BACK UP TO THE "PIFA" TO HEAR THE FULL

SEQUENCE THROUGH THE AIR "REJOICE GREATLY"

Actually, that wonderful recitative-and-accompagnato sequence following the "Pifa" lead up, not just to the chorus "Glory to God in the highest," but then to the ebullient soprano air "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion," which startlingly is omitted in the Ormandy edition (though it certainly wouldn't have played to Eileen Farrell's vocal strengths). I thought we would hear it first preceded by that whole sequence -- from the Colin Davis-Bavarian Radio Symphony, with the wonderful soprano Margaret Price, though by this time she no longer handles the passagework as well as I'm sure she once would have. As it happens, we have another performance of "Rejoice greatly" coming up.

No. 12. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
Recitative, soprano: There were shepherds abiding in the field
No. 13. Accompagnato, And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them
Recitative: And the angel said unto them
No. 14. Accompagnato, And suddenly there was with the angel
No. 15. Chorus, Glory to God in the highest
16. Air, soprano, "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion"

Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion, shout, o daughter of Jerusalem, behold they King cometh unto thee. He is righteous Savior, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.

-- Zechariah IX:9-10

Margaret Price, soprano; Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis, cond. Philips, recorded Oct.-Nov. 1984

AND FINALLY, LET'S BRING PART I HOME WITH

THE LEAD PARTICIPATION OF KIRI TE KANAWA

As I mentioned, we're going to hear "Rejoice greatly" again, this time sung winningly and fearlessly by Kiri Te Kanawa, a reminder of the international jolt her already-flourishing career got when she sang the similarly jubilant Handel aria "Let the bright seraphim" from Samson at the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. Then we're going to hear her, with helpers including the Norwegian contralto Anne Gjevang and the Chicago Symphony Chorus close out Part I, including the duet version of "He shall feed his flock," which you'll notice carries through the message of consolation of "Comfort ye." It may be worth noting that, chockful as Messiah is with grand choruses -- Part II, for example, concludes with perhaps the greatest of all choruses, the "Hallelujah!" -- the chorus that closes Part I, "His yoke is easy," is a decidedly unmonumental one.

16. Air, soprano, "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion"
Recitative, alto, "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened"
17. Duet, alto and soprano, "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd"

Recitative
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

-- Isaiah, XL:11

Come unto Him all ye that labor, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

-- Matthew, XI:28-29

Duet
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm; and carry them in his bosom; and gently lead those that are with young.

-- Isaiah, XL:11

Come unto him all ye that labor; come unto him that are heavy laden; and he will give you rest. Take his yooke upon you, and learn of him, for he is meek and lonely of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

--Matthew, XI: 28-29

18. Chorus, "His yoke is easy, His burthen is light"

His yoke is easy, His burthen is light.

-- Matthew, XI:30

Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano (in Nos. 16-17), Anne Gjevang, contralto (in No. 17); Chicago Symphony Chorus (in No. 18) and Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti, cond. Decca, recorded c1984


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