MESSIAH

One of the finest large-scale choral works during the whole post-war era. 3412940.az_SANDSTROM_Messiah_Helmuth_Rilling.html SANDSTRÖM Messiah • Helmuth Rilling, cond; Robin Johannsen (sop); Roxana Eonstantinescu (alt); Timothy Fallon (ten); Michael Nagy (bar); Stuttgart Fest Ens • CARUS 83.453 (2 CDs: 90:22 Text and Translation) Sven-David Sandström (born in 1942) is perhaps the most important Swedish composer writing predominantly religious music today. His reputation in that area led the Oregon Bach Festival, in Eugene, to commission him to write a new setting of the libretto for Handel’s Messiah , and while the idea might sound like a gimmick, the result is far from that. The world premiere took place in Eugene in July 2009, and it was repeated a few months later in Stuttgart. It is dedicated to Helmuth Rilling, director of the Oregon Bach Festival and one of the most significant choral conductors in the world. Sandström is an extremely imaginative compose