Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner - Handel: Messiah (1976/2024)

Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.

Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, had been established through his compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public taste; Messiah was his sixth work in this genre. Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's text is an extended reflection on Jesus as the Messiah called Christ. The text begins in Part I with prophecies by Isaiah and others, and moves to the annunciation to the shepherds, the only "scene" taken from the Gospels. In Part II, Handel concentrates on the Passion of Jesus and ends with the Hallelujah chorus. In Part III he covers Paul's teachings on the resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in heaven.

Handel wrote Messiah for modest vocal and instrumental forces, with optional alternate settings for many of the individual numbers. In the years after his death, the work was adapted for performance on a much larger scale, with giant orchestras and choirs. In other efforts to update it, its orchestration was revised and amplified, such as Mozart's Der Messias. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the trend has been towards reproducing a greater fidelity to Handel's original intentions, although "big Messiah" productions continue to be mounted. A near-complete version was issued on 78 rpm discs in 1928; since then the work has been recorded many times.

Tracklist
1. Academy of St Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 1, Symphony (03:01)
2. Philip Langridge – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 2, Recit. Comfort Ye, My People (Tenor) - No. 3, Aria. Every Valley Shall Be Exalted (Tenor) (06:23)
3. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 4, Chorus. And the Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed (02:57)
4. Gwynne Howell – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 5, Recit. Thus Saith the Lord of Hosts (Bass) - No. 6, Aria. But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming? (Alto/Bass) (04:29)
5. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 7, Chorus. And He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi (02:07)
6. Anna Reynolds & Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 8, Recit. Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive, and Bear a Son (Alto) - No. 9, O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion (06:01)
7. Gwynne Howell – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 10, Recit. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth (Bass) - No. 11, Aria. The People That Walked in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light (Bass) (06:14)
8. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 12, Chorus. For Unto Us a Child Is Born (03:36)
9. Academy of St Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 13. Pifa "Pastoral Symphony" (02:52)
10. Elly Ameling – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 14, Recit. There Were Shepherds - No. 15, And the Angel Said Unto Them - No. 16, And Suddenly (Soprano) (03:09)
11. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 17, Chorus. Glory to God in the Highest (01:44)
12. Elly Ameling – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 18, Aria. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion (Soprano) (04:10)
13. Anna Reynolds – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 19, Recit. Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be Opened (Alto) - No. 20, Aria. He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd (Alto/Soprano) (04:58)
14. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: No. 21, Chorus. His Yoke Is Easy and His Burthen Is Light (02:00)
15. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 22, Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God (02:58)
16. Anna Reynolds – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 23, Aria. He was Despised and Rejected of Men (Alto) (11:19)
17. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 24, Chorus. Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs (02:06)
18. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 25, Chorus. And with His Stripes We Are Healed (01:26)
19. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 26, Chorus. All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray (03:27)
20. Philip Langridge & Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 27, Recit. All They That See Him Laugh Him to Scorn (Tenor) - No. 28, Chorus. He Trusted in God That He Would Deliver Him (02:51)
21. Elly Ameling – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 29, Recit. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (Soprano/Tenor) - No. 30, Aria. Behold and See If There Be Any Sorrow Like Unto His Sorrow (Soprano/Tenor) (03:48)
22. Philip Langridge – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 31, Recit. He Was Cut Off Out of the Land of the Living (Soprano/Tenor) - No. 32, Aria. But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in Hell (Soprano/Tenor) (02:23)
23. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 33, Chorus. Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates (02:57)
24. Philip Langridge & Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 34, Recit. Unto Which of the Angels Said He at Any Time? (Tenor) - No. 35, Chorus. Let All the Angels of God Worship Him (01:42)
25. Gwynne Howell – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 36, Aria. Thou Art Gone Up on High (Alto/Bass) (03:10)
26. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 37, Chorus. The Lord Gave the Word (01:02)
27. Elly Ameling, Anna Reynolds & Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 38, Aria. How Beautiful Are the Feet of Them That Preach (Soprano) (03:17)
28. Philip Langridge – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 39, Chorus. Their Sound Is Gone Out into All Lands (01:09)
29. Gwynne Howell & Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 40, Aria. Why Do the Nations So Furiously Rage Together? (Bass) - No. 41, Chorus. Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder (03:07)
30. Philip Langridge – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 42, Recit. He That Dwelleth in Heaven Shall Laugh Them to Scorn (Tenor) - No. 43, Aria. Thou Shalt Break Them with a Rod of Iron (Tenor) (02:33)
31. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 44, Chorus. Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth (03:45)
32. Elly Ameling – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 3: No. 45, Aria. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (Soprano) (05:13)
33. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 3: No. 46, Chorus. Since By Man Came Death (01:50)
34. Gwynne Howell – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 3: No. 47, Recit. Behold, I Tell You a Mystery (Bass) - No. 48, Aria. The Trumpet Shall Sound (Bass) (10:09)
35. Anna Reynolds, Philip Langridge & Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 3: No. 49, Recit. Then Shall Be Brought to Pass (Alto) - No. 50, Aria. O Death, Where Is Thy Sting? (Alto/Tenor) - No. 51, Chorus. But Thanks Be to God Who Giveth Us the Victory (04:56)
36. Anna Reynolds – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 3: No. 52, Aria. If God Be For Us, Who Can Be Against Us? (Soprano) (04:41)
37. Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus – Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 3: No. 53, Chorus. Worthy Is the Lamb That Was Slain - Amen (06:31)