Handel: Messiah Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin & Justin Doyle

• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I:
• 1 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 1, Sinfony 02:52
• 2 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 2, Comfort ye my people 02:47
• 3 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 3, Ev'ry valley shall be exalted 03:13
• 4 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 4, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed 02:36
• 5 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 5, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts 01:21
• 6 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 6, But who may abide the day of His coming 04:13
• 7 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 7, And He shall purify the sons of Levi 02:22
• 8 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 8, Behold, a virgin shall conceive 00:29
• 9 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 9, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion 05:15
• 10 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 10, For behold, darkness shall cover the earth 01:43
• 11 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 11, The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light 03:45
• 12 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 12, For unto as a Child is born 03:55
• 13 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 13, Pifa "Pastoral Symphony" 00:56
• 14 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 14a, There where shepherds abiding in the field 00:10
• 15 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 14b, And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them 00:23
• 16 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 15, And the angel said unto them 00:31
• 17 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 16, And suddenly there was with the angel 00:15
• 18 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 17, Glory to God in the highest 01:49
• 19 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 18, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion 04:12
• 20 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 19, Then shall the eyes of the blind be open'd 00:25
• 21 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 20, He shall feed His flock like a shepherd 04:50
• 22 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. I: No. 21, His yoke is easy 02:20
• Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II:
• 23 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 22, Behold the Lamb of God 02:42
• 24 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 23, He was despised 10:07
• 25 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 24, Surely, He hath borne our griefs 01:39
• 26 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 25, And with His stripes we are healed 01:45
• 27 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 26, All we, like sheep, have gone astray 03:31
• 28 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 27, All they that see Him 00:40
• 29 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 28, He trusted in God 02:23
• 30 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 29, Thy rebuke hath broken His heart 01:31
• 31 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 30, Behold, and see 01:23
• 32 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 31, He was cut off 00:14
• 33 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 32, But Thou didst not leave 02:08
• 34 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 33, Lift up your heads 03:06
• 35 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 34, Unto which of the angels 00:17
• 36 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 35, Let all the angels of God worship Him 01:28
• 37 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 36, Thou art gone up on high 03:02
• 38 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 37, The Lord gave the word 01:06
• 39 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 38, How beautiful are the feet of them 02:10
• 40 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 39, Their sound is gone out into all lands 01:22
• 41 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 40, Why do the nations 02:40
• 42 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 41, Let us break their bonds asunder 01:50
• 43 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 42, He that dwelleth in heaven 00:12
• 44 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 43, Thou shalt break them 01:53
• 45 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. II: No. 44, Hallelujah 03:36
• Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III:
• 46 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 45, I know that my Redeemer liveth 06:01
• 47 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 46, Since by man came death 02:13
• 48 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 47, Behold, I tell you a mystery 00:31
• 49 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 48, The trumpet shall sound 08:23
• 50 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 49, Then shall be brought to pass 00:17
• 51 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 50, O death, where is thy sting? 01:02
• 52 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 51, But thanks be to God 02:09
• 53 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 52, If God be for us 04:58
• 54 Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. III: No. 53, Worthy is the lamb that was slain - Amen 07:15
• Total Runtime 02:13:56

Info for Handel: Messiah

The RIAS Kammerchor Berlin and its chief conductor Justin Doyle present Handel’s Messiah, together with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and an all-British quartet of outstanding soloists, consisting of Julia Doyle (soprano), Tim Mead (countertenor), Thomas Hobbs (tenor) and Roderick Williams (bass). Messiah (1742) is not only Handel’s most famous work, but equally one of the cornerstones of British choral culture. Over the years, a tradition of mass performances full of pomp and circumstance took root, with the Hallelujah as a showstopper. This new period-instruments recording, however, aims to bring the piece back to the size and intimacy of the earliest performances.

The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin has a substantial PENTATONE discography, including Handel’s Concerti grossi Op. 6 and Op. 3, (released in 2019 and 2020), Telemann’s opera Miriways (2019) and CANTATA with Bejun Mehta (2018). The RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Justin Doyle, Julia Doyle, Tim Mead, Thomas Hobbs and Roderick Williams all make their PENTATONE debut.

"A covetable new recording of Handel's Messiah (Pentatone), the traditional Christmas work despite its Passiontide credentials, with spirited, lean performances from the Rias Kammerchor Berlin and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Justin Doyle, with top soloists Julia Doyle, Tim Mead, Thomas Hobbs and Roderick Williams." (The Observer)

Julia Doyle, soprano
Thomas Hobbs, tenor
Roderick Williams, bass
Tim Mead, countertenor
RIAS Kammerchor Berlin
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Justin Doyle, conductor

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2022. Founded in Berlin in 1982, the ensemble is now one of the world's leading chamber orchestras playing historically informed music.

For four decades, the orchestra has demonstrated its versatility with exciting concert projects, making significant contributions to the rediscovery of the music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann. Thoughtfully, the ensemble has also gradually expanded its core repertoire from the Baroque and Classical periods into the 19th century, most recently with its much-acclaimed cycle "Beethoven's Symphonies and their role models."

Whether in New York or Tokyo, London or Buenos Aires, Akamus is a much sought-after guest on the most important European and international concert stages.

Akamus is a central pillar in the cultural life of its home city of Berlin. For over 35 years, the orchestra has been playing a subscription series at the Konzerthaus Berlin. At the Berlin State Opera, the ensemble has regularly dedicated itself to Baroque opera since 1994. With its own concert series, Akamus has also been a regular guest at Munich's Prinzregententheater since 2012.

Akamus performs under the alternating direction of its two concertmasters, Bernhard Forck and Georg Kallweit, as well as selected conductors. The ensemble has a particularly close and long-standing artistic partnership with René Jacobs. In addition, Emmanuelle Haïm, Bernard Labadie, Paul Agnew, Diego Fasolis, Fabio Biondi, Rinaldo Alessandrini, and Christophe Rousset have recently conducted the orchestra.

Akamus also works regularly with internationally renowned soloists such as Isabelle Faust, Antoine Tamestit, Kit Armstrong, Alexander Melnikov, Anna Prohaska, Michael Volle, and Bejun Mehta. Together with the dance company Sasha Waltz & Guests, they created the internationally successful production of Henry Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, which has been widely performed from Berlin to Sydney. The most fruitful partnership with the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin deserves special mention: the collaboration, which has been equally formative for both ensembles, began 30 years ago. Akamus also maintains a close partnership with the Bavarian Radio Chorus.

The ensemble's recordings have won all the major recording awards, including the Grammy Award, Choc de l'année, and the Annual Prize of the German Record Critics. In 2006, the orchestra received the Telemann Prize of the City of Magdeburg, and in 2014, the Bach Medal of the City of Leipzig.

The RIAS Kammerchor Berlin
is one of the most renowned professional choirs in the world. Numerous awards and prizes document the choir’s high international reputation: The German Record Critics’ Award, the ECHO Klassik, the Gramophone Award, the Choc de l’annee, the Prix Caecilia, and the “Nachtigall” honorary prize from the Jury of the German Record Critics’ Award.

The multinational ensemble, made up of 34 professionally trained singers, is known for its meticulously prepared performances. As part of the RIAS Kammerchor Studio, four young singers are invited to work closely with the choir each season. lts repertoire ranges from historically informed interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque music to works from the Classical and Romantic eras, together with regularly given world premieres.

Justin Doyle
has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the choir since the 2017-18 season.

The recordings they have made together for harmonia mundi have been enthusiastically received by the listening audience and critics alike. They include the complete Liebeslieder waltzes by Brahms, and Handel’s Messiah, Coronation Anthems, and Dixit Dominus, along with a pairing of his Utrecht Te Deum with Bach’s Weihnachts-Magnificat – a collaboration with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. Summer of 2025 marks the release of the first of two recordings devoted to sacred works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and his sister Fanny Hensel.

With up to 50 concerts per season on stages in Germany and around the world, the ensemble is one of the most important touring choirs in the country. Every other year, the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin and Deutscher Musikrat host the final concert of Deutscher Chordirigentenpreis, which concludes a multiannual funding programme for aspiring conductors. Other music education projects include mentorship for Berlin school choirs, musical salons, and audience workshops led by Justin Doyle. Since being founded in 1948 as part of the “Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor” (Radio in the American sector), the choir has been guided and shaped by leading artists, including Günther Arndt, Uwe Gronostay, Marcus Creed, Daniel Reuss, and Hans-Christoph Rademann, who were its chief conductors. It regularly collaborates with renowned ensembles such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Freiburger Barockorchester, along with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Iván Fischer, and Rinaldo Alessandrini, as well as with René Jacobs, who leads the choir in their numerous recordings for harmonia mundi.

This album contains no booklet.