Messian @ St John's Smith Square, London

Music OHM

24th December 2015

Katherine Watson is to Handel soprano singing, as Anja Harteros is to Verdi, and here she not only gave finely phrased, elegantly sung interpretations of her arias but explored quite daring variations, especially in ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ where she removed every layer of the cloying sentimentality so often heard to give a genuinely heart-rending performance. Gwilym Bowen is a very promising young tenor whose singing I’ve praised in Monteverdi, and he gave a forthright, open reading of the tenor’s music, perhaps a little short on showmanship but very strong in terms of directness and freshness.

Read the full review here

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Conductor - Stephen Layton

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

CAST

Katherine Watson - soprano

Iestyn Davies - countertenor

Gwilym Bowen - tenor

Neal Davies - bass

HANDEL'S MESSIAH

Conductor - Herve Niquet

CAST

Katherine Watson soprano

Patricia Bardo, contralto

Topi Lehtipuu, tenor

Neal Davis, baritone

Although Handel took less than a month to write his Messiah, it is by far the best-known of his oratorios and the melody of the Hallelujah Chorus has become part of the collective memory. And deservedly so, as few choral pieces are so triumphant and so stirring. This masterpiece is tailor-made for the French baroque specialist Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel, an award-winning ensemble renowned worldwide for its historically informed performances of baroque music.

HANDEL'S MESSIAH

Conductor - Herve Niquet

CAST

Katherine Watson soprano

Patricia Bardo, contralto

Topi Lehtipuu, tenor

Neal Davis, baritone

Although Handel took less than a month to write his Messiah, it is by far the best-known of his oratorios and the melody of the Hallelujah Chorus has become part of the collective memory. And deservedly so, as few choral pieces are so triumphant and so stirring. This masterpiece is tailor-made for the French baroque specialist Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel, an award-winning ensemble renowned worldwide for its historically informed performances of baroque music.