Messiah: The Complete Work

by Cambridge Singers (Recorded by), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Recorded by), John Rutter (Conducted by)

Overview

Combine the premier choral conductor of our time; his select chamber choir, the Cambridge Singers; the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; and Handel’s timeless Baroque masterpiece, and you have the ultimate mu¬sical celebration for Christmas or Easter! Phenomenal vocalists Joanne Lunn, Melanie Marshall, James Gilchrist, and Christopher Purves were specially selected as soloists by Mr. Rutter for this recording.

George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is his most famous creation and is among the most popular works in Western choral literature. Although the work was conceived and first performed for Easter, it has become traditional since Handel’s death to present the prophetic portions of the oratorio during Advent and resurrection-themed segments during Easter. Whether you were raised with the breathtaking, straight-from- Scripture movements “For unto Us a Child Is Born,” “He Shall Feed His Flock,” and “The Hallelujah Chorus”—or you’re appreciating them for the first time—you’ll be powerfully moved by this momentous production.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598565751
Publisher:	Hendrickson Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/28/2010
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 5.72(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

John Rutter CBE (born September 24, 1945) is an English composer, choral conductor, editor, arranger and record producer. Born in London, he was educated at Highgate School. He then studied music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the choir and then director of music from 1975 to 1979. In 1981 he founded his own choir, the Cambridge Singers, which he conducts and with which he has made many recordings of sacred choral repertoire (including his own works). He still lives near Cambridge, but frequently conducts other choirs and orchestras around the world. In 1980 he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians. In 1996 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music. He also works as an arranger and editor, most notably (in his youth) of the extraordinarily successful Carols for Choirs anthology series in collaboration with Sir David Willcocks.

George Frideric Handel (16851759) was born in Halle, Germany, in the same year as Bach. A prolific composer in many genres, he is well-known for his outstanding contributions to choral music, secular cantatas, operas, and instrumental music of various types, particularly the concerto. Handel was one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period (17001750) and, during his lifetime, the most internationally famous of all musicians.