This is a beautiful performance of

This is a beautiful performance of a warhorse.Suzuki and his colleagues give us a very polished and refined performance. While in some hands, polish and refinement can translate into a surface gloss, what we have here is a performance that digs into the meaning of the text, and yet further, seems to almost *preach* the text (in the most positive meaning)--it seems to be heartfelt.While the Amazon reviewer complains that the male soloists might be past their prime, I find nothing 2nd rate about them--so maybe in comparison to themselves they come up short, but certainly not in general! The orchestra is small--the same size as Radu's on Vox--but the playing is world-class instead of provincial, and the acoustic (the same locale as their on-going Bach cantata series) is perfect, as is the engineering. The overall effect is that any scrawniness that small ensembles such as this one can bring is either masked by the helpful acoustic, or these musicians are so accurate, scrawniness doesn't happen! (I'm betting the latter, btw).The chorus is well-balanced, and although the diction isn't as marvelous as Radu's, it's pretty darn good, and this Japanese group gives their English-speaking colleagues a good run for their money!So, another take on the Messiah that is worthy to add to an already over-crowded catalogue!