Handel's Messiah

ArtistYear Rec.CD / Album TitleCoverYear Rel.Format
    Sir Malcolm Sargent1946G. F. Handel – Messiah – Huddersfield Choral Society – Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 2 CD2002        CD
       Sir Thomas Beecham, Bart.1947Handel : The Messiah – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 4 Disc1954         LP
Hermann Scherchen1953George Friedrich Handel – Messiah – London Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra 3 CD2004        CD
Sir Malcolm Sargent1954Messiah Handel – Huddersfield Choral Society 3 Disc1954        LP
Sir Adrian Boult1955Handel Messiah – London Philharmonic Orchestra And Chorus 3 CD2004       CD
Thompson Stone1955Handel And Hayden Society Of Boston Presents Handel’s Messiah – Conducted By Thompson Stone With The Zimbler Sinfonietta 3 Disc1955       LP
Hermann Scherchen1959Handel Messiah – Vienna State Opera Orchestra – Vienna Academy Chamber Choir 3 CD2001      CD
Sir Malcolm Sargent1959Handel Messiah – Huddersfield Choral Society – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 2 CD2002      CD
Sir Thomas Beecham, Bart., C. H.1959Handel Messiah – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus 3 CD1992      CD
Charles Mackerras1966Handel – Le Messie – Messiah – Der Messias – Ambrosian Singers – English Chamber Orchestra 2 CD1989 (1986)      CD
Robert Shaw1966Handel’s Messiah – Robert Shaw Chorale & Orchestra 2 CD2004      CD
Sir Colin Davis1966Handel – Messiah – London Symphony And Chorus 2 CD1993      CD
David Axelrod1971David Axelrod’s Rock Interpretation Of Handel’s Messiah2012      CD
Karl Richter1972Handel Messiah – London Philharmonic Orchestra 2 CD1996      CD
Sir David Willcocks1973Handel Messiah – Choir Of King’s College, Cambridge 2 CD1992      CD
Neville Marriner1976Handel Messiah – London Version Of 1743 – Academy And Chorus Of St Martin-In-The-Fields 2 CD1995      CD
Christopher Hogwood1979Handel – Messiah – Choir Of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford 2 CD1991      CD
Jean – Claude Malgoire1980Handel Messiah – Original Dublin Version 1742 – La Grande Ecurie Et La Chambre Du Roy 3 Disc1980      LP
John Eliot Gardiner1982Handel Messiah – Der Messias – Le Messie – Monteverdi Choir 2 CD1992      CD
Robert Shaw1984Handel Messiah – Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Chorus 2 CD1984      CD
Antal Dorati1984Handel Messiah – Recorded Live At The Maryland Handel Festival 2 CD1985      CD
Sir Georg Solti1985Handel Messiah – Chicago Symphony Orchestra And Chorus 2 CD1985      CD
Trevor Pinnock1988George Frideric Handel Messiah – English Concert & Choir 2 CD1988      CD
Andrew Parrott1989Handel – Messiah – Taverner Choir & Players (2002) 2 CD1989      CD
Sir Andrew Davis1989Handel – Messiah – Toronto Mendelssohn Choir – Toronto Symphony Orchestra 2 CD1989      CD
Richard Hickox1991Handel Messiah – Collegium Musicum 90 2 CD1991      CD
Various Artist1992George Frideric Handel – A Collector’s Messiah – Historic Handel Oratorio Recordings 1899 – 1930 – 2  CD1992      CD
Various Artist1992Handel’s Messiah – A Soulful Celebration1992      CD
Sir David Willcocks1995George Frideric Handel’s Messiah – Mormon Tabernacle Choir & NightPro Symphony Orchestra 2 CD1995      CD
Paul McCreesh1997Handel Messiah – Der Messias – Le Messie HWV 56 – Founding Hospital Version (1754) – Gabrieli Consort & Players 2 CD1997      CD
London Philharmonic Orchestra2004Handel’s Messiah – Thomas Kinkade – The Original Manuscript 2 CD2004      CD
Various Artist2004The Christmas Story – Words And Music (James Earl Jones, CD 2, tracks 3 – 17, Suite)2004      CD

Interpretations of Handel’s Messiah are many.  Most of what appears on many Christmas CDs today are excerpts of Handel’s Messiah.  I have a few of those, but I wanted to collect the full oratorios of Handel’s Messiah.  (I kind of went nuts with this one 😊).  It’s easy to tell if you have a CD of excerpts or if the CD contains the full oratorio.  The full oratorio takes up more than one CD, so there are always two CDs, or three LPs included in the set.

From Wikipedia, “Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel.  The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens.  It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere a year later.  After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.”

Messiah (Handel) – Wikipedia

The first recording of Handel’s Messiah was in 1926, by Sir Henry Wood and another, also in 1926, by Sir Malcolm Sargent.  I am having trouble finding a copy of either one of those.

“The first near-complete recording of the whole work (with the cuts then customary) was conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1928.”  There are quite a few copies of this for sale on Discogs.com, but none are complete.  Originally, this version was released in two volumes with each volume containing 9 – 78 RPM records, for a total of 18 – 78 RPM records.  Either the sets available don’t have the original book and cover, or some of the discs might be missing or only one volume is available.  There was a CD version of the complete recorded work issued on 2 CDs in 1999, but currently only Part 1 is available for sale.  I’m going to hold out until I can find a mint CD copy of both volumes before I buy.

But I do have a version recorded by Sir Malcolm Sargent in 1946, and another version recorded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1947.  I have traditional recordings, I have an interpretation of the arrangement from the original 1742 Dublin version, I have an interpretation of the original arrangement from the 1743 London premier.  I have a rock-styled interpretation by David Axelrod, and I have versions that are performed using period instruments from the mid 1700s.

I have a lot of Handel’s Messiah.