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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ย. 2018
- Handel's "Messiah" Part 1, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, recorded in 1927 in Westminster Central Hall; Original Columbia Records 9320 to 9327 inclusive, played on an HMV Model 163 cabinet gramophone. Obviously with records over 90 years old, some surface noise is inevitable. The soloists are:-
Soprano - Dora Labbette (1898 - 1984)
Contralto - Muriel Brunskill (1899 - 1980)
Tenor - Hubert Eisdell (1882 - 1948)
Bass - Harold Williams ( 1893 - 1976)
The Chorus is the BBC Chorus
Approximate start times of the items (minutes and seconds) are as follows:-
00-00 Overture
04-06 Comfort ye my people (Hubert Eisdell)
07-45 Every valley shall be exalted (Hubert Eisdell)
11-20 And the Glory of the Lord (Chorus)
15-14 Thus saith the Lord & But who may abide (Harold Williams)
21-45 And He shall purify (Chorus)
24-29 Behold a virgin shall conceive & O Thou that tellest
(Muriel Brunskill, then chorus )
32-00 For behold & The people that walked in darkness (Harold
Williams)
37-43 For unto us a child is born (Chorus)
41-38 There were shepherds etc etc (Dora Labbette)
43-38 Glory to God (Chorus)
45-39 Rejoice greatly (Dora Labbette)
49-52 Then shall the Eyes of the blind (Muriel Brunskill)
53-35 Come unto Him (Dora Labbette)
57-39 His Yoke is easy (Chorus)
Sir Beecham es genial.
Beautiful and fresh performance! Thanks for the upload.
Muriel Brunskill wrote that this Beecham recording of Messiah was revolutionary in its time as he took a dramatic approach to the work. Gone was the slow , stately progress of the oratorio tradition folks were used to.
Some years later he was conducting a performance with the soprano Victoria Sladen, I believe in the Royal Albert Hall. She had a large voice , more often heard as Tosca or the soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem. Sensing that she was holding back her voice in her opening ' Angel' recitatives he reminded her that Messiah is about the greatest and most dramatic story ever told. He encouraged her to sing it that way and not hold back.
That dramatic approach might not please modern day Baroque specialists, but it clearly led to some powerful renditions of Messiah.
A fine illustration of that approach is Harold Williams ' Thus saith the Lord' and 'But who may abide.' Known to concert goers as ' Elijah' for his famous interpretation of Mendelssohn's work, here he brings out every ounce of drama and nuance from the text and music.
And we think we are so advanced today.
It's incredible. There are real treasures out there.
Full of expression. This has a power sadly lacking in more modern performances.
Ah this is sooo great! I love that they use proper English, "Her iniquity is Par-do-ned" "Her war fare is Accomplish ED" ... warms my heart.
Lesson for everyone to not cutting off the note values and to the gutsy and noticeable omissions of passing notes. I think this rendition is well true to the text to Handel and the spirit of the message of Comfort ye. I do think the tempo is slower and almost to a fault
11min.20sec to 15min, a fair olde melody, indeed!
I think it's one of Handel's Concerti Grossi. No 3?