Anyone looking for an excellent recording of Handel’s masterpiece can find it here. The Irish Baroque Orchestra, led by Peter Whelan, aims to bring the magic and drama of the first performance of this piece, which took place in Dublin in 1742. The orchestra members perform on period instruments, lending the sound a warm, glowing quality throughout. The chorus is relatively small by the standards of many Messiah recordings, in keeping with Handel’s lean yet first-rate forces for the premiere. As a result, individual lines stand out with unusual clarity, aided by excellent recording quality. In addition, the diction across the ensemble is exemplary, such as in “His Yoke is Easy” and the brief “The Lord Gave the Word,” where the chorus dispatches Handel’s plentiful…

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us