Handel: Messiah

This 1966 reading from Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony is a classic. A noble, compassionate interpretation, it represents a very successful melding of the English oratorio tradition with the then-emerging notion of an authentic performance style emphasizing lightness of texture and firm rhythmic underpinning. In its latest incarnation, as a Philips "Duo" offering (two CDs for the price of one), it's an especially good bargain. --Ted Libbey