Messiah is the perennial Christmas favourite and this new recording on DVD-Audio will surely be an ideal present for all audiophiles. The sound is quite amazing, emanating from five separate channels with the orchestra, chorus and soloists firmly divided and creating a fabulous sense of concert hall atmosphere.
As an interpretation, Fasolis is a fine conductor, creating just the right sense of palpable atmosphere and moving the music along at a merry pace. Thus the famous numbers such as "For unto us a child is born", "Why do the Nations", Halleluljah' and the glorious "Amen" chorus sound quite riveting. The team of soloists is also very creditable with Dawson a particularly fine soprano. At this price, this DVD-Audio is quite difficult to resist and will provide endless enjoyment to the discerning music lover.
Copyright © 2003, Gerald Fenech