Vol. 1
01. Symphony
02. 1. Comfort ye, My People
03. 2. Ev'ry Valley shall be Exalted
04. 3. And the Glory of the Lord
05. 4. Thus saith the Lord
06. 5. But who may abide the Day of his Coming
07. 6. And He shall purify the sons of Levi
08. 7. Behold, a Virgin shall Conceive
09. 8 & 9. O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion
10. 10. For Behold, Darkness shall Cover the Earth
11. 11. The People that walked in Darkness
12. 12. For unto us a Child is born
13. 13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
14. 14. There were Shepherds...And Suddenly there was with the Angel
15. 15. Glory to God in the Highest
16. 16. Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion
17. 17. Then shall the Eyes of the Blind
18. 18. He shall Feed his Flock
19. 19. His Yoke is Easy
20. 20. Behold the Lamb of God
21. 21. He Was Despised
22. 22. Surely He hath borne our Griefs
23. 23. And with His Stripes we are Healed
24. 24. All we like Sheep have gone astray
25. 25. All they that see Him
26. 26. He trusted in God
27. 27. Thy Rebuke hath broken His Heart
28. 28. Behold and See
29. 29. He was cut off
30. 30. But Thou didst not Leave
31. 31. Lift up your Heads
32. 32. Unto which of the Angels
33. 33. Let all the Angels of God
34. 34. Thou art gone up on high
35. 35. The Lord gave the Word
36. 36. How Beautiful are the Feet
37. 37. Their Sound is gone out
38. 38. Why do the Nations
39. 39. Let us Break their Bonds asunder
40. 40. He that Dwelleth in Heaven
41. 41. Thou shalt Break them
42. 42. "Hallelujah"
43. 43. I Know that my Redeemer Liveth
44. 44. Since by Man came Death
45. 45. Behold, I tell you a Mystery
46. 46. The Trumpet shall Sound
47. 47. Then shall be Brought to Pass
48. 48. O Death, where is thy Sting?; 49. But Thanks to God
49. 50. If God be for us
50. 51. Worthy is the Lamb...Amen
Vol. 2
01. Symphony
02. 1. Accompagnato: Comfort ye, My people
03. 2. Air: Ev'ry Valley shall be exalted
04. 3. Chorus: And the glory of the Lord
05. 4. Accompagnato: Thus saith the Lord
06. 5. Air: But who may abide the day of his coming
07. 6. Chorus: And He shall purify the sons of Levi
08. 7. Recit: Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive - 8. Aria: O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion - 9. Coro
09. 10. Accompagnato: For behold, darkness shall cover
10. 11. Air: The people that walked in darkness
11. 12. Chorus: For unto us a Child is born
12. 13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
13. 14. Recitative: There were shepherds - Accompagnato: And lo, the angel of the Lord - Recitative: And the angel said unto them - Accompagnato: And suddenly
14. 15. Chorus: Glory to God in the highest
15. 16. Air: Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion
16. 17. Recitative: Then shall the eyes - 18: Duet: He shall feed his flock
17. 19. Chorus: His yoke is easy
18. 20. Chorus: Behold the Lamb of God
19. 21. Air: He Was Despised
20. 22. Chorus: Surely He hath borne our griefs
21. 23. Chorus: And with His stripes we are healed
22. 24. Chorus: All we like sheep have gone astray
23. 25. Accompagnato: All They That See Him - 26. Chorus: He Trusted In God"
24. 27. Accompagnato: Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
25. 28. Arioso: Behold and see
26. 29. Accompagnato: He Was Cut Off - 30. Air: But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul In Hell
27. 31. Chorus: Lift up your heads
28. 32. Recitative: Unto which of the angels - 33. Chorus: Let all the angels
29. 34. Air: Thou art gone up on high
30. 35. Chorus: The Lord gave the word
31. 36. Air: How beautiful are the feet
32. 37. Chorus: Their sound is gone out
33. 38. Air: Why do the nations
34. 39. Chorus: Let us break their bonds asunder
35. 40. Recitative: He that dwelleth in heaven - 41. Air: Thou shalt break them
36. 42. Chorus: Hallelujah
37. 43. Air: I know that my Redeemer liveth
38. 44. Chorus: Since by man came death
39. 45. Accompagnato: Behold, I tell you - 46. Air: The Trumpet shall sound
40. 47. Recitative: Then shall be brought to pass - 48. Duet: O death where is thy sting - 49. Chorus: But thanks be to God
41. 50. Air: If God be for us
42. 51. Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb... Amen
43. "Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart...Behold and See"
Vol. 3
01. Symphony
02. Oh, the pleasure of the plains
03. Ye verdant plains
04. Hush, ye pretty warbling quire!
05. Where shall I seek the charming fair?
06. Stay, shepherd, stay!
07. Shepherd, what art thou pursuing?
08. Lo! Here my love!
09. Love in her eyes sits playing
10. Oh! Didst thou know the pains
11. As when the dove laments her love
12. Happy we!
13. Wretched lovers!
14. I rage-I melt-I burn!
15. O ruddier than the cherry
16. Whither, fairest, art thou running
17. Cease to beauty to be suing
18. Would you gain the tender creature
19. His hideous love provokes my rage
20. Love sounds th'alarm
21. Consider, fond shepherd
22. Cease, oh cease, thou gentle youth
23. The flocks shall leave the mountains
24. Help, Galatea! Help, ye parent Gods!
25. Mourn, all ye muses!
26. Must I my Acis still bemoan
27. 'Tis done: thus I exert my pow'r divine
28. Heart, the seat of soft delight
29. Galatea, dry thy tears
30. O ruddier than the cherry (Alternative Version)
Vol. 4
01. "Frondi tenere...Ombra mai fu"
02. "Love In Her Eyes Sits Playing"
03. Silent Worship ("Did'st Thou Not See My Lady?")
04. "Deeper, and Deeper Still"
05. "Comfort ye, My People...Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted"
06. "Where'er You Walk"
07. "Thanks To My Brethren...How Vain Is Man"
08. "My Arms! Against This Gorgias...Sound an Alarm"
09. Sheep may safely graze
10. 2. Air
11. Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary
12. Britten: The National Anthem (God Save The Queen)
Vol. 5
01. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris
02. Aria "Grief for Sin"
03. Aria "All is fulfilled"
04. Agnus Dei
05. Return, O God of Hosts
06. 8. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
07. Father of Heaven
08. 21. Air: He was despised
Vol. 6
01. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris
02. Aria "Grief for Sin"
03. Aria "All is fulfilled"
04. Agnus Dei
05. Return, O God of Hosts
06. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
07. Father of Heaven
08. Air "He was despised"
Vol. 7
01. Sheep May Safely Graze (Arr. Kramer; K. Davis)
02. Break in Grief
03. Jesu joy of man's desiring
04. Stölzel: If Thou Be Near ("Bist du bei mir", BWV 508)
05. Sommi Dei (Gods all-powerful)
06. "Art thou troubled?"
07. Oh sleep, why dost thou leave me?
08. He shall feed his flock
09. I know that my Redeemer liveth
10. Handel: Praise ye the Lord (Arr. Woodgate; McCormack)
Vol. 8
01. Mendelssohn: Hear My Prayer
02. Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets
03. Gruber: Silent Night, Holy Night
04. Gounod: O Divine Redeemer
05. Parry: Jerusalem
06. Bortniansky: Jubilate
07. Wade: O Come All Ye Faithful
08. Liddle: Abide With Me
The second volume of Sir Adrian Boult’s Decca legacy brings together the conductor’s Messiah recordings of 1954 and 1960, plus Baroque and sacred music recitals from Kenneth McKellar, Kirsten Flagstad and Kathleen Ferrier. LIMITED EDITION. While hardly a ‘period-instrument’ pioneer, Sir Adrian Boult had a much surer sense of authentic Handelian style than most of his contemporaries. Editions and performances of Handel’s masterpiece were still often cut and loaded with Romantic trappings in 1935 when Julian Herbage prepared the most complete version of the score yet made, with Handel’s original instrumentation. Boult began performing this version in 1942 and it was the obvious choice for a new, refreshing perspective on the piece when he came to record it for Decca in 1954. Listeners and critics alike were struck by the energy of Boult’s direction, the purity and simplicity of the solo singing and the vivid Decca engineering. These qualities also distinguished the stereo remake, made with similarly slimmed-down forces and featuring Dame Joan Sutherland on the top line. She also contributed to the success of Boult’s Acis and Galatea from 1959, and the box is completed with a series of glorious vocal recitals, from the tenor Kenneth McKellar, the soprano Kirsten Flagstad and the contralto Kathleen Ferrier, all accompanied by Boult in Baroque repertoire with the sensitivity to line that made him so underrated and underused as an opera conductor. Ferrier recorded this selection of Bach and Handel arias a year before her death in 1952, but eight years later Boult and the LPO returned to the studios to produce a stereo accompaniment for the album, which the Decca producer James Walker mixed with Ferrier’s part from 1952: an early and remarkably successful example of the technology later used to ‘update’ classic recordings of Caruso and Callas.
