Stand Up and Sing "Hallelujah!"
This is the most exquisite version of "Messiah" I have heard to date. Although I am not a professional musician, I have a good ear and these artists are simply flawless! I particularly appreciate the occasional personal flourish at the end of some arias--a tiny bit of artistic license that still respects the glorious work of Handel. My only complaint relates to the production side of this CD set: the overture and all solos are so quiet, I have to crank up the volume, yet when any chorus begins, the sound is nearly deafening. This peculiar lack of balance is truly disappointing, but something I can live with for the stellar quality of the music.

wonderful
a wonderful performance blending delicate treatments for the solos and large scale forces for the big choral numbers. The soloists are all divine especially Samuel Ramey. As a Canadian, I am especially happy to find support this as one of the best Messiah's out there. :-)

Messiah
I selected this recording of Handel's Messiah because of the featured artists and also because it has the complete Oratorio, which not all versions have. It is excellent.

A Superlative Recording
This is a truly superlative recording of the Messiah. The soloists are all first rate. John Aler could not have done a better job as the tenor, and Samuel Ramey is surely the world's best ever coloratura bass. His voice is big and black and incredibly flexible! And the bass has twice as many arias as anyone else, so this is very important when choosing a Messiah recording. Kathleen Battle is in ravishing voice and the "talk" about her not being emotionally involved is just nonsense. Florence Quivar is a superb mezzo who is not nearly as famous as she should be. She does an excellent job. The conductor also does a superb job, bringing all the forces in line with just the right tempi and dynamics.
My only complaint about this recording is that I think the chorus is merely OK. Personally, I like my choruses to sound like the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, where every singer could also be a soloist. You won't find that here--it is more on the line of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Good enough, but not great voices.

You like it big? Try this!
What a recording! This is the best of the large scale offerings. A powerhouse! Try it! It'll blow you out of the house!