Handel: Messiah - Eugene Ormandy, The Philadelphia Orchestra & The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

Handel: Messiah

Eugene Ormandy, The Philadelphia Orchestra & The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

  • Genre: Classical
  • Release Date: 1985-11-12
  • Explicitness: notExplicit
  • Country: USA
  • Track Count: 32

  • ℗ Originally released 1959 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
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Tracks

Title Artist Time
1
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Ove Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 4:27
2
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:29
3
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Air Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:53
4
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:19
5
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 1:31
6
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Air Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 4:33
7
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 2:41
8
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 0:36
9
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Air Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 7:02
10
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 4:14
11
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Pas Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:59
12
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 0:52
13
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 1:11
14
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 0:28
15
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 1:53
16
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 0:35
17
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Air Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 7:04
18
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 2:47
19
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:50
20
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Air Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 5:17
21
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:04
22
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 2:19
23
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 4:17
24
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Cho Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:05
25
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Air Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 2:41
26
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 0:23
27
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 2:16
28
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 3:56
29
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 7:07
30
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 0:47
31
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 6:53
32
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rec Eugene Ormandy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Martha Lipton, Davis Cunningham, William Warfield & Eileen Farrell 6:32

Reviews

  • 1959 Handel Messiah

    5
    By ComegaOne
    If you prefer your Handel/Messiah big, as I do, than this 1959 recording may suit your taste. It's huge. It's bold. It's powerful. It's magnificent. It is my favorite recording of this work, in part, because the shear size of both choir and orchestra render a deep and rich musical opulence that sadly is expensive to produce and has largely fallen out of style. Those seeking a smaller, crisper, cleaner Messiah that more closely mimics a chamber style of this work as it was originally performed, may find this recording slightly over the top, cumbersome and muddy. This recording is testament to the fact that the world was a different place 53 years ago; Americans thought big and were busy doing big things. This recording reflects those dynamics as well a glorious vision and passionate commitment to musical excellence. Recognizing that recording technology has evolved orders of magnitude since 1959, to suggest that this recording would benefit from a state-of-the-art digital remastering would constitute a profound understatement. That said -- and despite a couple of stylistically dated idiosyncrasies and the fact that while the soloists, for the most part, render solid performances, none display world class vocal talent -- taken as a whole, this recording is majestic magic. This recording also raises questions and opportunities. Using state-of-the-art recording technology, what big-thinking doer has the vision and resources to bring together a massive world class choir and orchestra and the finest solo voices on the planet with an energetic, dynamic, world-class conductor to jointly record a bigger, bolder, crisper Messiah? As much as I love and recommend this 1959 recording to any Handel/Messiah connoisseur, I would also be first in queue to purchase a new such iteration. Thanks and be well, Ken Smith Denver, Colorado

  • Very poor rendition of Handel's Messiah, an embarrassment to the performers

    2
    By JJMFe
    I bought in a hurry, and because The Morman Tabernacle Choir did the vocals. But I wasted my money. I was very disappointed with very weak tenor, like he couldn't reach his notes. I wish that the Philly would have listened to this and said, "Nahh, we won't release this." All the solo voices were weak, and the choir was just plain "listless" moving from chorus to chorus without any crisp endings or beginnings. The orchestration is too pastoral as well. Lacked snap. The whole group did this in a very perfunctory manner without any "punch." I'm not sure if the director was asleep or if the choir just didn't care. Your local church choir in a small town will be as enjoyable as this version. I've got a 1976 Decca / Argo recording on vinyl with Sir Neville Mariner and the Academy of St. Martins in the Fields, Elly Ameling, Anna Reynolds, Philip Langridge, Gwynne Howell, etc. that puts this one to shame. I will be looking for another version. If you want to really experience the "Messiah" in all it's grandeur, look further, and don't buy this one!

  • Bygone, but not bad

    4
    By seward414
    Big choir and orchestra - Mozart's orchestrations, which I must confess are a guilty pleasure. There are worse "BIG" Messiah's out there - Beecham's for instance. The tempi here aren't bad - not as fast as is the current fashion, but not as slow as the Victorians played it. I too grew up on this version and at least once a season I listen to it.

  • "Big Handel" from a bygone interpretive era

    3
    By johnsurvived
    I'd love to give this five stars, because it's the recording of Messiah I grew up with -- literally. Every Christmas, from the very first, this album came out of mom & dad's record cabinet, was plopped down on the HiFi turntable, and played its part in our Yuletide soundtrack. The performances are of a sort you won't find in recordings from the past few decades -- this is NOT an attempt at recreating an "authentic Messiah" (as if anyone could agree what that means). The orchestrations (with modern orchestral instrumentation) are lush, the sound is heavy with strings (an Ormandy trait), the vocal performances are likewise well-padded with vibrato. The choruses are performed by the gi-normous Mor(m)on Tabernacle Choir, with two or three times the number of singers typically used nowadays. The result is a Handel experience like none other you'll find on disc or live. Some stand-outs in this recording: the Overture and Pastoral Symphony display the Philadelphia/Ormandy sound at its near-best; Eileen Farrell's rich, plummy alto is just marvelous in "O Thou that Tellest"; and the Latter-day Saints turn out creditable renditions of all the famous choruses. Now, why just three stars? It's nothing to do with the performances, but with the recordings. They don't sound like they've been remastered, or whatever, and they tend (particularly in the very loud and very soft passages) to get a "muddy" quality. Maybe it's time for some sound-tech guru to dust off the master tapes and create a new digital master? Who knows -- it might end up reviving the old-fashioned passion for great-big "inauthentic" Messiahs.

  • Messiah, Eugene Ormandy & Philly Orchestra

    5
    By LarryKeese
    Truely brings to the heart the meaning Handle had for this Magnificient work.

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