Handel’s “Der Messias,” as arranged by Mozart....

Handel’s “Der Messias,” as arranged by Mozart. Edith Mathis, soprano; Birgit Finnila, alto; Peter Schreier, tenor; Theo Adam, bass. Symphony and Chorus of the Osterreichischen Rundfunks with Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor. Archive (1974)

*

Within a few generations after his death, Handel was generally respected but regarded within his native Germany as a bit old-fashioned.

Mozart helped bring him up to speed by arranging and editing four of his choral works, including this loving, gorgeous version of “Messiah,” according to then-prevailing tastes and his own peerless genius. Mozart treated the score with more respect than later generations did, in that he cut only three sections (including the middle part of the “The Trumpet Shall Sound”) as opposed to the nine cuts that were more or less standard at the beginning of this century. He did reassign some arias, mostly from the tenor to the soprano; he also filled out harmonies and cadences, added parts and drew on a greater and more varied orchestral accompaniment than in the original.

Because the art of playing high-lying Baroque trumpet parts had died out, Mozart had to re-score these lines, giving them to the French horn or the violins. It is a shock not to hear a brilliant trumpet in “The Trumpet Shall Sound” or in the “Hallelujah!” Chorus. His scoring of the “Pastoral Symphony,” however, is achingly beautiful.

Overall, the additions are delicate and ravishing in color. Mackerras conducts the orchestra and chorus with great intelligence and affection, and the soloists are at a peak of dramatic, expressive power. Mercifully, there is no attempt to reproduce period-style practices.

The German text should present no problem to anyone familiar with the English version. In fact, such a listener may feel empowered to become a simultaneous interpreter for the United Nations.