Reviews
Review Search
Make no mistake, this set is a bright star in a lighted firmament of existing Handel Messiahs.
This newly (released 2009) performance/recording of Handel's "Messiah" is nothing short of superb. Conductor Stephen Layton has put together Polyhony, Britten Sinfonia, and four outstanding soloists for what is one of the best "Messiah"s out there.
Polyphony is new to me, but what a chorus they are....
THUMBS UP
Choosing a version of Messiah used to be comparatively easy. If you wanted a big-scale performance in the Victorian tradition, you went for one of Sir Malcolm Sargent’s recordings with the Huddersfield Choral Society or even for Sir Thomas Beecham’s with everything on board except – perhaps even including – the kitchen sink. Sargent is still to be had, in stereo on a 6-CD budget...
An engaging and likeable Messiah from Layton and Polyphony
Polyphony have given annual Christmas performances of Messiah in St John's, Smith Square, for 15 years. Many of these have been collaborations with the Academy of Ancient Music, but this Hyperion set is based on the most recent 2008 run of performances featuring the Britten Sinfonia. Perhaps some might find the use of modern instruments (...
Another Christmas-related work (even if its fame spread from the Dublin premiere at Eastertide), this performance enjoys vitality and sensitivity in equal measure; indeed it is a finely-judged intimate yet outgoing account, tempos unerringly judged. Polyphony’s youthful voices are a joy throughout, and the soloists avoid heaviness of expression without undoing the significant sentiments expressed...
Contemporary choral works of a special beauty and appeal
There are many striking features of this ravishing disc, beautifully and imaginatively performed by Stephen Layton and Polyphony. One is immediately aware of various stylistic resonances - from the musical maelstrom of the 20th century but also from many centuries past. There are hints here and there of Monteverdi, Stravinsky, Poulenc...
You could argue that the radiant soprano Julia Doyle’s coloratura in Rejoice is a little effortful, that the outstandingly good countertenor Iestyn Davies’s decorations are sometimes self-conscious (which decorations should never be) and that the low notes of the fiery bass Andrew Foster-Williams lack sonorousness. But there is no such thing as an ideal Messiah, any more than there is a single...