CD 1
Première partie
1 Symphony Instrumental 3:15
2 Comfort ye my people Accompagnato (Sébastien Obrecht, ténor) 3:06
3 Ev’ry valley shall be exalted Air (Sébastien Obrecht, ténor) 3:14
4 And the glory of the Lord Chorus 3:14
5 Thus saith the Lord of hosts Accompagnato (Ekkehard Abele, baryton) 1:21
6 But who may abide the day of His coming ? Air (Julien Freymuth, alto) 4:30
7 And he shall purify Chorus 2:28
8 Behold, a virgin shall conceive Recitative (Kathrin Hildebrandt, alto) 5:57
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion Air (Alessandro Giangrande, alto) and Chorus
9 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth Accompagnato (Manfred Bittner, baryton) 2:24
10 The people that walked in darkness Air (Manfred Bittner, baryton) 3:30
11 For unto us a Child is born Chorus 3:43
12 Pifa Instrumental 3:00
13 There were shepherds abiding in the field Recit., Accomp., Recit. (Tanya Aspelmeier, soprano) 1:15
14 And suddenly there was with angel Accompagnato (Tanya Aspelmeier, soprano) 0:17
15 Glory to God in the highest Chorus 1:50
16 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion Air (Stéphanie Révidat, soprano) 4:16
17 Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d Recitative (Kathrin Hildebrandt, alto) 5:52
He shall feed his flock Duett (Kathrin Hildebrandt, alto & Aurore Bucher, soprano)
18 His yoke is easy, His burthen is light Chorus 2:08
Deuxième partie (début)
19 Behold the lamb of God Chorus 3:17
20 He was despised Air (Alessandro Giangrande, alto) 9:55
21 Surely, He hath borne our griefs Chorus 1:35
22 And with His stripes we are healed Chorus 1:57
CD 2
Deuxième partie (suite)
1 All we like sheep have gone astray Chorus 3:35
2 All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn Accompagnato (François Rougier, ténor) 0:42
3 He trusted in God Chorus 2:11
4 Thy rebuke hath broken His heart Accompagnato (Henning Kaiser, ténor) 1:40
5 Behold, and see if there be any sorrow Arioso (Henning Kaiser, ténor) 1:50
6 He was cut off out of the land of the living Accompagnato (François Rougier, ténor) 0:18
7 But thou didst not leave His soul in hell Air (Henning Kaiser, ténor) 2:17
8 Lift up your heads Chorus 2:54
9 Unto which of the angels said He at any time Recitative (Sébastien Obrecht, ténor) 1:45
Let all the angels of God worship Him Chorus
10 Thou art gone up on high Air (Julien Freymuth, alto) 3:05
11 The Lord gave the word Chorus 1:97
12 How beautiful are the feet of them Air (Stéphanie Révidat, soprano) 2:11
13 Their sound is gone out into all lands Chorus 1:24
14 Why do the nations so furiously rage together Air (Ekkehard Abele, baryton) 2:37
15 Let us break their bonds asunder Chorus 1:57
16 He that dwelleth in heaven Recitative (François Rougier, ténor) 2:17
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron Air (François Rougier, ténor)
17 Hallelujah Chorus 4:43
Troisième partie
18 I know that my Redeemer liveth Air (Aurore Bucher, soprano) 6:13
19 Since by man came death Chorus 1:55
20 Behold, I tell you a mystery Accompagnato (Matthieu Lécroart, baryton) 0:33
21 The trumpet shall sound Air (Matthieu Lécroart, baryton) 8:46
22 Then shall be brought to pass Recitative (Kathrin Hildebrandt, alto) 1:18
O death, where is thy sting ? Duett (Alessandro Giangrande, alto & Henning Kaiser, ténor)
23 But thanks be to God Chorus 1:51
24 If God be for us who can be against us ? Air (Tanya Aspelmeier, soprano) 4:52
25 Worthy is the lamb that was slain Chorus 8:44
Benoît Haller and his ensemble La Chapelle Rhénane would only agree to make a live recording of this work, whose immense popularity is reflected in its virtually uninterrupted performing tradition, once they had fully come to terms with their innovative musical options: to go beyond superficial virtuosity and attain a new and authentic fervour and sincerity. Here is a powerful and highly personal version of this timeless, universal masterpiece, marked by the intense commitment of twelve vocal soloists chosen for their specific vocal colour and their fidelity to Handel's music.
