I’m not a religious fella and am not a Christian but was exhibiting at a holiday festival the last few days where I got to hear the work ^ performed several times by about 60 person choirs. They performed about 3x per day and because my booth was near the theater, I was able to get a front row experience a few times. I have to admit it’s an amazingly moving bit of music. Being about 20 feet in front of the performers added to the experience.

Does anyone know of good high quality recordings of this done by large choir with a full symphony? I want to exercise my Maggies a few times.

I’ll also definitely look into other works by George. The guy knows something about emotive qualities in music.

In San Francisco every year they have the "Sing-It-Yourself Messiah".

But I am still waiting for them to inaugurate the "Dance-It-Yourself Nutcracker".

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

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2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

The water music is well-known, also.

And go on youtube for some fun, there's a flash mob on ode to joy

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo

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There are MANY recordings of Messiah available. My favorite has always been the one by Malcom Sargent, from around 1946. IMO, he has the tempo just about right on every piece.
I am sure you can listen to excerpts on-line of many different recordings before you decide.

Mendelssohn's Elijah is another oratorio, but a little less "sweet"---just a little bite. Same art form; just a different take.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Try doing the splits to "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies."

Choir of Silent Monks . . . Yes, You Read That Right

On a somewhat related note, I have to listen to x-mas music at work quite often. One of my favorite pieces of music is Motzart's "Canon in D". I feel its one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed. Much to my chagrin there is atrocious carroll being sung over it by what sounds like a boys choir breaking puberty. Makes me want to vomit every time I hear it.

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here's a really inspiring version of Carol Of The Bells....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQyib5ZQZY



The critics agree that the 1991 recording done by The Academy Of Ancient Music is one of the finest recordings/performances of Messiah.

Amazon has it, so does youtube, and torrents abound as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3S9w5vwNm0

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

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https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

I'll bet you mean Pachelbel. One of the most richly romantic pieces ever, IMO. It gets right to it and stays at a constant intensity Wasn't rivaled until DeBussy, who could do with a piano what it took Pachelbel a roomful of instruments. DeBussy performs a more true seduction with a slow build and a rich embrace.

Pachelbel
pachelbel's Canon in D--Soothing music(the best version) - YouTube

DeBussy
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: CLAIR DE LUNE - YouTube

Of course for a hand-job, nothing beats Ravel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK23BhEQVyU

We used Water Music at our wedding. The Hallelujah Chorus is right near the top of my favorite Xmas music, right after Oh Holy Night. Though I am no longer a christian by any reasonable definition, the sacred Christmas music can still bring me to tears. Don't care a button for rudolph and frosty and let it snow and that junk.

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The ultimate 'Carol of the Bells'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=674ZPMoQLR4]Carol of the Bells - Claymation Christmas - "Dumb Bell" - YouTube

Everyone LOVES Pachelbel's canon--except whoever gets the continuo bass part--eight notes repeated ad infinitum---and beyond. ( Says the father of the Tuba player)

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

That was fun!

Turns out I have a 5 LP recording of Handel’s music in my collection. A few years ago I was at the local computer recycler and they had this awesome sale on slightly used (or not at all) classical music collections. $1 per collection. The collections were a bunch of Time/Warner jacketed recordings of musical artists, with each jacket having 5-7 albums (LP) each. I bought about 30 of these and then a new SOTA brand turn table with USB and analog outputs to play them. Haven’t touched either in some time but I’ll record the Handel recordings to the server as 16 bit recordings and thereby add them to the digitized collection.

Previously recorded some other works from this collection as 32-bit recordings, and while the process succeeded, I found that none of the popular players would play them. D’oh! When did high fidelity digital become an oxymoron??

Thanks for the other comments.

I used that one at my wedding.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Pachelbel Rant - YouTube

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