This recording is one of my favorite CDs. And I am disappointed that some reviewers do not care for it. The late Robert Shaw is known as the greatest conductor in America. This said, I find it funny that some reviewers think they know more than he does.

Diction is excellent. And the sound is typical Shaw: spine-tingling. Choral music and Handel lovers should DEFINITELY buy this CD. With Robert Shaw, you are always in for a treat. Trust his musical knowledge, sit back, and enjoy a great (if not the best) recording of Messiah.

I had a version of the Messiah on vinyl and needed to replace it. After listening to five other versions of the Messiah at Barnes and Noble, I purchased this one. I was looking for version that had soloists I could understand, great sound and a chorus that sounded like more than 12 people. This one had it all. The airs are well done. The elocution of the soloists was excellant. You can understand every word. If you want a complete Messiah, with a traditional sound, then this is the one to buy. Robert Shaw made effort to capture the original essence of the original Messiah. It shows. This version is not as somber as the old vinyl one I have featuring Jerome Hines and others.

Many will disagree, but for me this is without question the poorest recording of Messiah I have ever encountered. Not only do I know the piece well, but have conducted it quite a bit myself, and I must admit, I have never been a real fan of the late Robert Shaw. True, he produces a fine choral sound, and intonation is invariably good, but stylistically, he clearly lacks comprehension, as he does/did (at least for my tastes) in most large choral works.

The recording sounds as if he simply picked up on the latest Baroque scholarship, and simply plodded along unquestioningly without any real musical judgement/discernment of his own.

What really surprises me is the ghastly (sorry, I can't find a more proper term!) diction at several spots: In "For Unto Us a Child is Born", we hear "Forrrr-runto wussa-chil-dis-bo-horn" (words and music terribly slurred together), and "The mighty God, the-yeaverlasting Father, the Princ-suv Peace"" - This is quite disappointing coming from a supposed master expert on choral singing.

Admittedly, Shaw's soloists are good - Richard Stilwell's singing of "Why Do the Nations?" is splendid, but he deserves a better accompaniment than the tinkling, underplayed effect that Shaw provides - compare this to the fiery, blazing rendition that Karl Richter gives on his London Philharmonic recording of 1972!

And most disturbing of all: after an entire 2, 1/2 hours of very legato choral singing, the final chorus on "Amen", suddenly breaks into a detached Baroque style (I was also very surprised to hear the chorus "Blessing and Honor" begin at a one tempo, and then slow down about 4 metronome degrees at mid-bar!).

As with any artist for which I do not feel a particular affinity, I keep going back to see if there is any merit in their performances; unfortunately, I can find little to recommend to this recording. The above mentioned Richter recording is vastly superior, and reflects a conductor not only with the technical mastery of both choral and orchestral forces, but also a profound stylistic sense which gives coherence to the work as a whole.

I have great respect for Robert Shaw, and this isn't a bad recording. I just find nothing in it that I'd want to come back to. Too large, diffuse, uninspired.

His 1966 Messiah is another matter. Some of those choruses are staggering! I wish he had built on that here, but he seems to have gone off the track.

For those who like this one, I recommend either of the Colin Davis recordings, either of the Marriner recordings, and above all, Westenberg.

This was one of the very first CD's I ever purchased of anything - bought back in the early '90's. I have listened to it hundreds of times and have not become tired of it. There may be better recordings out there but I have never felt the need to replace it - it is still my only Messiah CD.
My only criticism is that the timing seems a little rushed, especially the track, "Since By Man Came Death". Other than that nothing is left out (this is not a "highlights" CD) and the music is as powerful and uplifting as you would expect the Messiah to be.
Also a good booklet with the CD with extensive historical notes (English only), all the lyrics and short bio's of the five soloists.
Overall I don't think you will be disappointed with this CD unless you are a music expert who can detect the minor flaws that exist in most everything recorded.

I scoff at anyone who says that this recording is boring or has poor sound quality. I have found the recording to be the best out of all my Messiah recordings as well as the recording that is the truest to Handel's original intentions and scope. Most copies of Messiah contain overly large choirs that fail to capture many of the nuances that Handel built into this Oratorio. The smaller orchestra/choir size allows the listener to hear many artfully performed and skillfully composed sections that one would miss in a recording with a larger orchestra. This CD is skillfully executed. Of particular favorite is the third piece of the Part Two, SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS. The chorus is at its best here and treats the middle adagio section with much grace and humility. This is the premier copy of Handel's Messiah and should be heard so that the listener can appreciate what Handel had originally intended before conductors made the mistake of trying to enlarge the already great piece.

Each time when I listened to this recording I almost felt asleep. The voices of the soloists went deeper and deeper most of the time and it's likely that they were not singing Handel's Messiah but Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Better performances from Davis/London Symphony (Philips) and Solti/Chicago Symphony (DECCA) can be found at this site. The orchestration is kind of too powerful in Beecham/Royal Philharmonic's (BMG/RCA) and Ormandy/Philadelphia's (Columbia/Sony) versions. The best Messiah I've ever heard was recorded by Davis/Bavarian Radio Symphony (Philips).

As others have pointed out, the performance is, typically of Shaw, very good. But I've always wished for clearer sound. But I also realize that this is 1984 digital sound - even for Telarc.I guess there aren't too many audiophiles out there, judging from the number who give the sound an "excellent" rating!

Recommended, nonetheless.

True to the Shaw tradition, this recording is magnificent, well executed, and accurate. It is tough to go through the holidays without being able to look forward to a new Shaw recording, but his genius for choral work is showcased here for the ages.

I have to concur with Mr. Scott A. Steiner in saying that this is one of, if not the best rendition of Handel's Messiah I have heard. Additionally, the way the voices circle, diverge and then coalese in 'O Death ..' is just stunning. An outstanding recording.

This is a light, chamber performance with excellent soloists, tempi, and choral balance. What a shame it is all muffled by Telarc's cavernous sound. The whole thing sounds like it was recorded in a cave. I think some re-mastering is in order here.

I've heard many recordings of the Messiah, and I can say without hesitation that I find Shaw's to be the singular best. Some of the movements on these two CDs are particularly magnificent, particularly "and He shall purify," "surely he hath borne our griefs," and "the trumpet shall sound." Also, I credit Shaw for including a portion of the Messiah that is too often strangely omitted - "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" The orchestration is really perfect, and for those of you with the score, you'll notice this piece is very loyal to it, but is simultaneously delivered with a fresh and thrilling spin at several movements. The late Robert Shaw has delivered a recording of the Messiah that Christians and classical music lovers everywhere will love forever.

An excellent recording of the Messiah. The choruses are flawless with perfect rhythm, probably the best renderings of the Messiah choruses I've ever heard including live performances by Boston's Handel and Hayden Society. Soloists are also very good though balance between them and orchestra could be better at points. In particular, the orchestra tends to cover the pianissamo passages of soprano airs (e.g. opening of I Know that My Redeemer Liveth although this may be a limitation of my relatively old equipment). One performance oddity is thae some aria that are often sung by Tenor are sung by Soprano here which I found slightly odd when I first listened to this CD. Over time I have warmed to aspect of this recording.

Soloists quite good. Chorus -- incredible! A must buy