Messiah The Academy of Ancient Music and The Choir of Westminster Abbey (Vhs)
$ 6.34
Description
The Academy of Ancient Music and The Choir of Westminster Abbey George Frederic Handel's Messiah (VHS). Founding Hospital Version 1754. Featuring Judith Nelson, Emma Kirkby, Carolyn Watkinson, Paul Elliott, and David Thomas. Christopher Hogwood conducting. From the back cover: For more than a century, performances of Handel's Messiah have accustomed us to the sight and sound of massed choirs, often comprising hundreds of voices, balanced by an orchestra of appropriate size. In Handel's day, this best-loved of all oratorios was performed by fewer than forty instrumentalists and a chorus, less than thirty strong, of boy trebles and men. That is the tradition to which Christopher Hogwood has returned in his performances with the Academy of Ancient Music. Members of the Academy all play instruments of the period or accurate modern copies. The choruses are sung by boy trebles and male altos, tenors and basses - in this recording, members of the Choir of Westminster Abbey. The soloists improvise embellishments in the arias and in certain cases, join in the singing of the choruses, just as they would have been expected to 240 years ago. This recreation of Messiah in authentic form was recorded in Westminster Abbey and takes full advantage not only of the Abbey's fine acoustic qualities, but also of the incomparable architectural splendour of the surroundings. Includes booklet which has some damage and writing. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments. Thanks!
