The Messiah: Handel arr. Mozart
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras
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"an appealing tribute that
translates the music's idiom from Baroque to Classical, with many
graceful and imaginative touches"
BBC Music Magazine |
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BBC Music Magazine, May 2006
Performance ****
Sound ***
It was Mozart's friend Gottfried Van Sweiten who fired his interest in
the music of the Baroque period, especially Handel's, commissioning
additional orchestrations for several major works, including Messiah
(1789). To Handel's relatively small instrumental complement of oboes and
strings, plus occasional trumpets and timpani, Mozart adds pairs of
flutes, clarinets, bassoons and horns, plus three trombones, while
expanding the role of the timpani. These days we regard Handel as not
needing such expansion, but throughout the 19th century this version was
commonly performed.
Perhaps we should regard this arranged version as Mozart's commentary
on Handel, or as a large-scale variation. In any case, this is not
hack-work but an appealing tribute that translates the music's idiom from
Baroque to Classical, with many graceful and imaginative touches.
This 1988 recording, though not in the clearest sound, benefits from
what was arguably the finest quartet of soloists then available, together
with the confident participation of the Huddersfield Choral Society and
the disciplined Royal Philharmonic Orchestra which moves efficiently and
purposefully under the direction of Sir Charles Mackerras, a noted
specialist in both composers.
The work is sung in the English Handel set rather than the German of
Mozart's Viennese performance. Mackerras also gives those arias reassigned
by Mozart to other voices back to those Handel originally intended and he
also makes standard cuts in Parts II and III. This won't replace an all-Handel
venture, such as the excellent one by William Christie, but by way of
comparison it's highly enjoyable.
George Hall
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