In a time when historically informed performances of George Frederick Handel's Messiah have become the norm, it might seem that thick, homogenized orchestrations, massive choral forces, and excessively reverent interpretations would be a thing of the past, and that audiences would have lost the taste for such lavish post-Romantic treatments. Yet if Andrew Davis has resurrected the ghosts of Eugene Goossens and Thomas Beecham in his lushly scored rewrite of Messiah, then there must be an audience somewhere for this throwback to another era, and one not so long ago. Indeed, Davis' previous 1987 recording with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra enjoyed a certain status as the mainstream alternative to the scholarly challenges of Christopher Hogwood, Trevor Pinnock, and John Eliot Gardiner, and this Chandos recording with the same ensembles just goes further. For starters, the additional woodwind and brass parts might be a stretch even for traditionalists, but what is one to think of a snare drum tagging along in "Thus Saith the Lord of Hosts," or in hearing "But Who May Abide the Day of his Coming?" elaborated with chattering woodwinds and cymbal rolls? These aren't even the most extreme examples in Davis' high-octane version, which come at the most obvious climaxes with the addition of modern percussion and a full brass section in "For Unto Us a Child is Born," "Glory to God in the Highest," and "Hallelujah!," the most bombastic arrangements of all. There is undoubtedly an audience that will appreciate this recording, probably on extra-musical grounds, but it is not for listeners who prefer period-style performances on 18th century instruments.
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