Handel / Royal Philharmonic Orch / Griffith Messiah Refreshed CD

The Goossens Messiah, recorded for the first and only time by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus under Sir Thomas Beecham, has stood as a landmark of the classical catalogue for sixty years. Goossens' richly orchestrated version is set to reach a new audience thanks to Maestro Griffith and DCINY, New York City's leading promoter of classical music. They gathered at Abbey Road Studios in London in July 2019, to record the work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a chorus comprising of sixty members of The Jonathan Griffith Singers, drawn from around the world and sixty members of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. The new recording has captured the score's vibrant tone colors in thrilling high-definition sound. An acclaimed conductor, educator and lecturer, Dr. Jonathan Griffith has led performances across North America, Europe, and Asia. Griffith is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), which has brought together, under Griffith's artistic leadership, thousands of musicians and choral singers in concert at prestigious venues across the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Disney Hall. The founder and Music Director of the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, Griffith also oversees DCINY's mentoring program for conductors. Founded in 1983 as a single choir of 100 of the best singers in the nation, the National Youth Choir is now the flagship ensemble of an Arts Council England National Portfolio youth music organization and registered charity, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain (NYCGB), which runs five membership choirs, a nationwide outreach programme for schools and Music Hubs, and provides professional training for the next generation of choral singers, composers and leaders.

1. Overture 2. Part I: Recitative: Comfort ye my people (Tenor) 3. Part I: Air: Ev'ry valley shall be exalted (Tenor) 4. Part I: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed (Chorus) 5. Part I: Recitative: Thus saith the Lord of Hosts (Bass) 6. Part I: Air: But who may abide the day of His coming (Bass) 7. Part I: And He shall purify (Chorus) 8. Part I: Recitative: Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Alto) 9. Part I: Air: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (Alto, Chorus) 10. Part I: Recitative: For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (Bass) 11. Part I: Air: The people that walked in darkness (Bass) 12. Part I: For unto us a child is born (Chorus) 13. Part I: Pastoral Symphony 14. Part I: Recitative: There were shepherds abiding - And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them (Soprano) 15. Part I: Recitative: And the angel said unto them (Soprano) 16. Part I: Recitative: And suddenly there was with the angel (Soprano) 17. Part I: Glory to God in the highest (Chorus) 18. Part I: Air: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (Soprano) 19. Part I: Recitative: Then shall the eyes of the blind be open'd (Alto) 20. Part I: Air: He shall feed His flock like a shepherd - Come unto Him (Alto, Soprano) 21. Part I: His Yoke is Easy (Chorus) 22. Part II: Behold the Lamb of God (Chorus) 23. Part II: Air: He was Despised and Rejected of Men (Alto) 24. Part II: Surely, He hath borne our griefs (Chorus) 25. Part II: And with His stripes we are healed (Chorus)Part II: All we like sheep have gone astray (Chorus) 26. Part II: Recitative: All they that see him, laugh him to scorn (Tenor) 27. Part II: He trusted in God that He would deliver Him (Chorus) 28. Part II: Recitative: Thy rebuke hath broken His heart (Tenor) 29. Part II: Air: Behold, and see if there be any sorrow (Tenor) 30. Part II: Recitative: He was cut off out of the land of the living (Tenor) 31. Part II: Air: But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell (Tenor) 32. Part II: Lift up your heads (Chorus) 33. Part II: The Lord gave the word (Chorus) 34. Part II: Air: How beautiful are the feet (Soprano) 35. Part II: Their sound is gone out into all lands (Chorus) 36. Part II: Air: Why do the nations so furiously rage together (Bass) 37. Part II: Let us break their bonds asunder (Chorus) 38. Part II: Recitative: He that dwelleth in heaven (Tenor) 39. Part II: Air: Thou shalt break them (Tenor) 40. Part II: Hallelujah (Chorus) 41. Part III: Air: I know that my redeemer liveth (Soprano) 42. Part III: Since by man came death (Chorus) 43. Part III: Recitative: Behold, I tell you a mystery (Bass) 44. Part III: Air: The trumpet shall sound (Bass) 45. Part III: Worthy is the Lamb (Chorus)