CD1 Part I Scene 1: Isaiah’s prophecy of salvation 1. Sinfonia (Overture, instrumental) 02:56 2. Comfort ye my people (Recitative, tenor) 02:36 3. Ev’ry valley shall be exalted (Air for tenor) 03:25 4. And the glory of the Lord (Anthem chorus) 02:47 Scene 2: The coming judgment 5. Thus saith the Lord of hosts (Accompanied recitative for bass) 01:29 6. But who may abide the day of His coming (Alto) 04:01 7. And he shall purify the sons of Levi (Chorus) 02:47 Scene 3: The prophecy of Christ’s birth 8. Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Air for alto) 00:29 9. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (Air for alto and chorus) 05:37 10. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (Recitative for bass) 02:03 11. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light (Air for bass) 03:21 12. For unto us a child is born (Duet chorus) 04:22 Scene 4: The annunciation to the shepherds 13. Pifa (“Pastoral symphony” instrumental) 02:37 14a. There were shepherds abiding in the fields (Secco recitative for soprano) 00:39 14b.And lo, the angel of the Lord (Accompanied recitative for soprano) 15. And the angel said unto them (Secco recitative for soprano) 00:37 16. And suddenly there was with the ange (Accompanied recitative for soprano) 00:17 17. Glory to God in the highest (Chorus) 01:57 Scene 5: Christ’s healing and redemption 18. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (Soprano) 04:46 19. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened (Secco recitative for alto) 00:30 20. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd (Alto and soprano) 05:16 21. His yoke is easy (Chorus) 02:34
Part II Scene 1: Christ’s Passion 22. Behold the Lamb of God (Chorus) 02:48 23. He was despised and rejected of men (Alto) 09:19 24. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Chorus) 01:40 25. And with his stripes we are healed (Fugue chorus) 01:37 26. All we like sheep have gone astray (Duet chorus) 04:08
CD2 27. All they that see him laugh him to scorn (Secco recitative for tenor) 00:44 28. He trusted in God that he would deliver him (Fugue, chorus) 02:19 29. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart (Tenor) 01:29 30. Behold and see if there be any sorrow (Tenor) 01:11 Scene 2: Christ’s Death and Resurrection 31. He was cut off (Soprano) 00:26 32. But thou didst not leave his soul in hell (Soprano) 02:12 Scene 3: Christ’s Ascension 33. Lift up your heads, O ye gates (Chorus) 03:17 Scene 4: Christ’s reception in Heaven 34. Unto which of the angels (Tenor) 00:15 35. Let all the angels of God worship Him (Chorus) 01:31 Scene 5: The beginnings of Gospel preaching 36. Thou art gone up on high (Alto) 03:07 37. The Lord gave the word (Chorus) 01:12 38. How beautiful are the feet (Soprano) 02:17 39. Their sound is gone out (Chorus) 01:24 Scene 6: The world’s rejection of the Gospel 40. Why do the nations so furiously rage together (Bass) 02:45 41. Let us break their bonds asunder (Chorus) 01:57 42. He that dwelleth in heaven (Tenor) 00:16 Scene 7: God’s ultimate victory 43. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron (Tenor) 02:05 44. Hallelujah (Anthem and fugue chorus) 03:52
Part III Scene 1: The promise of eternal life 45. I know that my Redeemer liveth (Soprano) 05:06 46. Since by man came death (Chorus) 01:56 Scene 2: The Day of Judgment 47. Behold, I tell you a mystery (Bass) 00:42 48. The trumpet shall sound (Bass) 08:33 Scene 3: The final conquest of sin 49. Then shall be brought to pass (Alto) 00:18 50. O death, where is thy sting (Alto and tenor) 00:57 51. But thanks be to God (Chorus) 02:06 52. If God be for us, who can be against us (Soprano) 04:33 Scene 4: The acclamation of the Messiah 53. Worthy is the Lamb (Chorus) 08:30
This CD recording of Handel’s masterpiece captures the performance of the Messiah in the years since 2011. Recorded live from three performances in late November 2016, it’s the expression of a close collaboration between choir and baroque orchestra. For many years S:t Jacobs Kammarkör, Rebaroque and their leader Maria Lindal have enjoyed the performances of many great works of the sacred repertoire. When the baton changed hands and it was time to continue the Messiah tradition with a new team it was only natural that Rebaroque and S:t Jacobs Kammarkör once again combined forces for the Messiah performances.
