Georg Friedrich Händel: Messiah

Lucy Crowe, Alex Potter, Michael Spyres, Matthew Brook, Rory McCleery, Choir of The English Concert, The English Concert, John Nelson

A powerful message of hope - Handel's Messiah In his recording, John Nelson takes into account the many different versions of the score - from Handel's original autograph of 1741 to the first performance in 1742 and the revisions for the London revivals in the following years. Eight bonus tracks contain alternative versions of arias such as "Rejoice greatly", against which today's "standard version" of Messiah only later prevailed. "The soloists were a bundle of stars," wrote The Times, "Lucy Crowe's diamond-like glittering soprano, Alex Potter with ethereal tones and wonderful control, while Michael Spyres - an extraordinary 'baritenor' - stood in full operatic splendor." Buoyed by such collaborators, the American conductor John Nelson decided to record Handel's oratorio Messiah: "A lifetime of performances of Messiah gave me, at the age of 80, enough courage to record this extremely famous piece of music". The album also includes a DVD with the film recording of the concert in Coventry Cathedral. "It was a long-standing dream of mine to conduct the Messiah in Coventry," said John Nelson, explaining the choice of recording venue. Destroyed during the Second World War, the cathedral was rebuilt in 1962 and opened with Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. John Nelson, a devout Christian, confesses: "In today's troubled world, where conflict has returned to Europe, I hope that a powerful message of hope will emanate from this symbolically charged place".

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