If this recording of George Frederick Handel's Messiah seems a bit unusual -- sung in German rather than in English, and sounding somewhat more Classical in orchestration than Baroque -- then it's because this is the 1789 arrangement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Swieten for his musical society, Die Gesellschaft der Associierten Cavaliere.
Helmuth Rilling's complete performance with the
Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart and the Bach Collegium Stuttgart gives a fair account of the work, which is roughly three-quarters Handel's, one-quarter Mozart's; considering the number of changes in orchestration, inventive rewriting of some numbers, and trimming of others, the revamped oratorio was found deserving of inclusion in Mozart's catalog of works as Der Messias, K. 572. The reconstructions are evident from the start in the Sinfonia, which has a much thicker orchestral texture than Handel's strings provided; other adjustments are noticeable in the arias, which have been cleverly adapted to fit the German translation by van Swieten, and in the choruses, which are often adorned with fanciful woodwind parts.
Rilling's performance has a rich orchestral sound, and the solo vocalists are attractive, but the choir is a little remote in the overly resonant space, and the overall sound of the recording is a bit too reverberant for fine details to stand out.