Handel's Messiah (arr. Mozart)

Dear Tam,

I think we are lucky in the English speaking world to have Handel's original setting designed for our own language! I love, for example, his rather characterful setting of 'Sur-rel-ly He hath born our grief...' where he puts the first word into three sylabals, and this quite likely suggests his English remained coloured with a German accent!

A few years ago there was a splendid verion on the cover of the BBC Magazine of the Mozart arrangement, and if memory serves me right, it was in German. BBC Philharmonic Forces I think, and I enjoyed it at the time, but it has not stayed, though I can't remember parting ith it.

Apart from Handel making such a splendid job of setting the English words, the thing that I actually prefer about the original is its slightly spare style! Often with soloists all there is is the coninuo bass and two violin lines for example, which only the harpsichord filling in the harmonic notes in between!

This allows for more expressive flexibility from the soloist who is not tied down by Mozart's new harmonic middle voices, which move more rigidly than Handel's continuo keyboard.

It is only a personal view, but unfortunately the Mozart scoring also led to the 19th Century tendincy to add even more luxurious and thickly textured parts in the winds, and perhaps the high point of this may be found in Malcomb Sargent's two recordings, which bass themselves on partly Mozarts scoring, partly Prout's arrangement, and modifications more recent than either, including some by Sargent himself. Of course this works well enough, but I found the Basil Lamb edition, based on Handel's sources far more to my taste when I found it. I think Charles Mackerras was the conductor actually, and it was very fine. [HMV LPs].

Then I got the famous contemporary (1960s Philips LPs, and based on the Watkins Shaw edition) set under Colin Davis, which was slightly less concerned with the HIP aspects, but these two sat as even favourites for a very long time for me. [Among other favourite recordings I have owned and enjoyed over the years are both of Sargent's recordings - one on a CD transfer of the 78s, and the other on LPs - Klemperer's remarkable set, using the Watkins Shaw edition, and a splendid early effort on LPs from Walter Susskind, which used Handel's scoring, at a time before this was widely re-accepted].

When Pinnock recorded the piece in about 1989, I soon found what I think is an ideal approach to the old texts, combining spirit, and emotional response with a nicely weighted consideration of a mature approach to the implications of HIP.

Watkins Shaw, who made this modern critical edition for Novellos [of a similar very high quality to the Bach Geselschaft Urtext Editions from Barenreiter], was my near neigbour when I lived at Crown East near Worcester in the 1990s. I met him a few times, but he is dead now. The edition is fascinating, being completley exhaustive about all the variants, and giving practically every option that would be stylish on how to perform them! It is beautifully printed and practical. The thing is on a sort of metal ring binder which makes it easy to fold flat on the conductors desk as well. I wish there were more efforts like this, which make the job easier in everyway.

In the forword he is rather tenchant about the post Mozart performance pratices that crept in and the definately erroneous editorial decisions that were often made. But I think he was slightly wrong to be so dismissive of the style. It brought the great music to life for many generations and that cannot be bad! Using an arrangement or even a conflation of arrangements, can work very well in the right circumstances.It is hardly to be thought of as a moral issue!!!

Of course the Mozart version is in the best possible taste for the classical period, where the old Baroque high trumpet had by then fallen out of use. He resets the parts in startling fashion if one is accustomed to high trumpets being used!

All the best from Fredrik

PS: It was also my first paid concert, and James Bowman was the Counter-tenor in that! And it was the work I played most frequently all through my playing. I never tired of it. I love every bar of it!

Dear Fredrik,

In large part I would agree (in that I think the original is the finer), but the Mozart arrangement is fascinating none the less (though I wonder if I would still have investigated it were Mackerras's name not on the disc - since I'll buy anything he does).

I too have the Davis recording, and very fine it is too. (Though, for some unaccountable reason, I think I may have missed it from my library list.) Actually, the Beethoven symphonies (and now the Haydn/London - I listened to three more today) have caused me to significantly raise my opinion of him.

The Mackerras set you mention has been on my list for some time now (not least because it also features Janet Baker). I think I'm right in saying that this was the first set to get back to Handel's original score, but I may be mistaken in this. Certainly, a lot of Mackerras's work at this time (e.g. the wonderful firework music) led into the period movement, though I think it's got out of hand to some extent.

I must say that the exert played today (I shall reserve full judgement until I've listened to the rest of the set) but I didn't think it worked quite so well as Mackerras's first recording which was sung in German - and fair enough given Mozart did reorchestrate it with that in mind.

regards, Tam

Dear Tam,

The Susskind set was the ground breaker, being done in about 1954, as far as I know, and it may be surprising to note that Klemperer was so early off the mark, predating the Mackerras/Lamb version as well!

The surprising thing about the Klemperer set is just how historically aware the performance actually is. In this respect it seems far finer than the famous Matthew Pasion set or the slightly later B Minor Mass set as well. What did it in for me is that the Third Part is so savagely cut that it hardly balances the rest, and I missed very much the complete rendering of this, so it had to go!

I am glad to read of you enjoying those Davis Haydn London Symphony performances. I think they are the tops, and are the perfect make-weight for Beecham and Adam Fischer in the same music for me.

I notice that BBC Legends have some concert recordings of these with the LPO under E Jochum, which I will definately be getting!

All the best from Fredrik

Dear Fredrik,

Thanks for correcting me on that score. His work with Handel gave me the idea that is had been. This from a recent Gramopone interview with Mackerras (which they didn't actually bother to put in the Magazine - presumably he is insufficiently photogenic)

quote:

JJ: So was it at that period that you became interested in what we call historically informed performance?

CM: No, it was much earlier than that. I really started out when I was still in Australia thinking that the way Handel was performed at that time couldn't be right and why was it necessary to have such big orchestras and to have to re-orchestrate it all when we know that was not how it was originally done. The turning point really came when I - who knew the Hamilton Harty orchestrations of the Water Music and the Fireworks - first saw the Boosey & Hawkes miniature scores that came out at the end of the War. And then I saw how different Handel's own orchestrations were from the way Harty had rearranged them. But they were continually played: the Water Music arranged by Harty was one of the most popular concert starters in the repertoire. A lot of people were then interesting themselves in, shall we say, 'correct' approaches to performing Handel and Bach adn other baroque composers. I think I was one of the first people to move it on slightly later and interest myself in perofmance practice of Mozart and there was that famous, if that's the word, 1965 Figaro in which although it was done in English, because it was at Sadler's Wells, it put into practice a whole lot of things we knew went on, particularly in relation to singing the recitatives and indeed the arias with appoggiatureas. And I think as regards the ornamentation of the arias we might have gone a bit over the top but at least it was pointing in the right direction. And I was able to modify it later. So now I think my verions of Mozart operas are more or less right in that regard. Of course it's amazing to me that still in so many Italian operas there's no common ground - or that many Italian singers don't seem to naturally sing appoggiaturas. I've recently seen some otherwise very good performances of Rossini in which Italian singers don't seem to understand the use of appoggiaturas and just don't do them.

JJ: Do you think that's because there's not the same kind of curiosity there?

CM: Yes, I think so. But really too many people believe that only what the composer wrote there should be sung. And not use one's imagination or indeed knowledge of what singers and instruments automatically did then. And that's particularly with the appoggiatura question. You can certainly discuss how much liberty singers and instrumentalists used to take with the ornamentation....

On the Haydn, I think a new thread is called for.

regards, Tam

Dear Tam,

I have that wonderful set of the Fireworks Music done with the Wind and Brass that Handel was forced to use against his wish by the King! Handel wanted violins and the King wanted only War-like instruments! Actually Mackerras makes a wonderful case for the King's wish, twenty oboes and all! It was recorded in one night in 1959, as that was the only way they could essemble the band, as all were doing regular work in orchestras at other times.

On the CD is also a lovely version of Harty's suite from The water Music, and one must wonder what CM thought of being required (in 1956) by HMV to record such a thing! They play it superbly of course. [Currently available on Testamant].

I think the Watkins Shaw (critcal) edition of the Messiah appeared in about 1960, and was the result of ten years of work at least. An extra-ordinary achievement, and really ahead of its time. I find it as almost as amazing that Klemperer should have been the first mainstream conductor to employ it in the studio, but why did it get cut? I suspect that even in the early sixties, the consideration of LP sides played its part. The perfmance easily fits on two CDs, as does the Pinnock with seconds to spare, but which has just one (sad for me) cut in the Pasteral Symphony. The repeats are shorn away, which makes it rather a wil-o-the-wisp thing. At greater length, and there is more than one possible variant, it takes on real emotional impact in the context. But it would have meant three CDs!

All the best from Fredrik

Dear Fredrik,

I too have the testament disc (the story of the recording contained the notes is wonderful - as are the gems such as Alan Civil and Barry Tuckwell playing together for the only time).

AND Mackerras makes a wonderful case for that choice of orchestration (though on paper one woudl surely wonder). My only regret is that had he recorded it now it would be a little brisker (which I might prefer).

regards, Tam

Dear Tam,

I bet if CM were to do it now it might be that bit quicker, but in this very case I think the very sense of occasion and incredible grandeur would be impossible to surpass. I had a performance on massed Baroque instruments on Hyperion, which should have been better, but was not. I was faster, but blurred in important detail, and actually the ensemble was pretty off at times as well.

This old set is unique and worth anyone's time. I bet Handel would have led a very grand and spacious performance under the celebratory circumstances planned, even if it all went wrong in reality.

ATB from Fredrik

Dear Fredrik,

I suspect it is just that I am used to the brisker tempo. Having listened to the set serval times and having got use to its tempo, I completely agree with your comments on its grandeur.

Also that no self-respecting lover of Handel's music should be without it.

Incidentally, when I was in my local CD shop picking up a copy for pe-zulu, I lamented the fact that it was unlikely to get done live and the nice intelligent chap who runs it pointed out that the Festival provides a good opportunity since the three Scottish orchestras, not the mention the Scottish Opera people and any visiting bands, ought to be able to make up the numbers.... here's hoping...

regards, Tam

It would go rather well outside, if that were possible! That was the design, but the Fireworks exploded and killed several people if I get the story right...

I am sure that part would be better now! Fredrik

I have heard the firework music outside (at the Festival's firework concert 3 years ago). However, it was with conventional forces (the SCO) and, which is worse, they were amplified and worse yet, the morons responsible for the lighting had managed to get one mis-positioned so it shined right into my eyes!

Still, one of the finest displays I've ever seen.

regards, Tam

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
I bet if CM were to do it now it might be that bit quicker, but in this very case I think the very sense of occasion and incredible grandeur would be impossible to surpass.
ATB from Fredrik

Dear Fredrik and Tam,

Exactly. This is out-of-door music, and should be played as such, which means with majesty and grandeur and not too fast. I think CM´s recording is as close to HIP-style as possible with modern instruments. And I find it as well historically as musically interesting, thanks to the special band of musicians, whose brilliance very much compensates for the lack of period instruments. And thanks to Tam for drawing my attention to it and also for giving it to me.

Kindest regards,

Dear pe-zulu,

After all the Walcha it was the least I could do.

regards, Tam

Dear Tam

I am happy to be able to be at your service.

Kindest regards,