Handel / Norwegian Wind Ensemble Messiah CD

The BBC Singers and conductor David Hill join with one of the world?s oldest continuously running orchestras, The Norwegian Wind Ensemble (NWE), to present this major new arrangement of George Frideric Handel's most celebrated oratorio - Messiah. Arranged for wind ensemble by NWE member Stian Aareskjold, this version here receives it's world premiere recording with a stellar cast of soloists who bring this visionary re-scoring of this famous work vividly to life. The BBC Singers hold a unique position in British musical life. The choir's virtuosity sees it performing everything from Byrd to Birtwistle, Tallis to Takemitsu. It's expertise in contemporary music has brought about creative relationships with some of the most important composers and conductors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Britten, Maxwell Davies, Poulenc and Judith Weir, Associate Composer of the BBC Singers and Master of the Queen's Music. The Norwegian Wind Ensemble is a unique institution in Norway's cultural life. The orchestra's eventful history stretches back to 1734 and the 'First Brigade Band' or 'Division Band' of Fredriksten Fortress in Halden. It is the oldest orchestra in Norway as well as the oldest cultural institution of any kind with an unbroken history.