Sir Adrian Boult - The Decca Legacy, Volume 2 - Baroque & Sacred Music

"An orchestra precisely the same as was used when the oratorio was first produced in Dublin in 1742. Hearing it this way is indeed a revelation and the fact that it is given complete is an added pleasure." Irish Monthly, June 1954 (Handel: Messiah, mono version)

"The outstanding feature is apparent at once: it has a beautifully engineered sound. Balance is exceptional in all directions, a rarity in choral recording … and the strings are satiny. Since Sir Adrian has accomplished a projection of the tenderest and the most forceful dynamics, the pianos, in this realistic seizure of sound, are feathery, delightful." High Fidelity, September 1954 (Handel: Messiah, mono version)

"[Flagstad] sounds completely happy and relaxed in her singing of 'Sheep may safely graze', and her voice doesn't seem to have one tremor of age. In fact, to these ears, it sounds more beautiful than ever … One of the most powerful utterances of Flagstad on records." High Fidelity, August 1957 (Bach and Handel arias - Flagstad)

"The singer's beautiful dark tones and the gravity of her style admirably suit 'He was despised' and 'Es ist vollbracht' … The more joyous 'Thou that tellest' is equally well done." Musical Times, May 1954 (Bach and Handel arias - Ferrier, mono version)

"The record is equally moving to hear as a purely musical experience, even without the emotional coloration imparted to it by Miss Ferrier's passing." High Fidelity, January 1954 (Bach and Handel arias - Ferrier, mono version)

"[Ferrier's] matchless voice singing Bach and Handel in three dimensions, fuller and more detached than I ever heard it before … It was as though a great singer whose career we thought rounded with a sleep had awakened radiant in the light of day." High Fidelity, September 1960 (Bach and Handel arias - Ferrier, stereo version)

"Before her last illness Ferrier's voice was at its finest, and the sense of presence, of an actual performance, is made all the more vivid in stereo." Musical Times, February 1961 (Bach and Handel arias - Ferrier, stereo version)

"A splendid performance of one of Handel's freshest scores … Boult leads a clear, transparent rendition … [Pears] has few peers today in the styling of this kind of music." High Fidelity, July 1960 (Handel: Acis and Galatea)

"David Ward is a tower of strength … The orchestra and chorus, under Boult's firm but sympathetic direction, are both first-rate." Musical Times, December 1961 (Handel: Messiah, stereo version)

"Boult has done it again … The new set calls for cheers and genuine rejoicing … A towering performance of this towering masterpiece … The power of the Hallelujah Chorus practically lifts you out of your chair, tradition or no." High Fidelity, January 1962 (Handel: Messiah, stereo version)

"[McKellar's] voice is of the right sort - light and flexible, but not white. He handles it expertly, carrying off the runs with dash, and sustaining the long, soft phrases with care … Boult's accompaniments are incisive and well-paced, Decca's sound top-notch." High Fidelity, September 1961 (Handel Arias - McKellar)

"These old chestnuts never had it so good, and Flagstad makes 'Silent Night' her own much as did Schumann-Heink. It is a perfect record with which to say 'good night' to your friends." High Fidelity, July 1970 (Sacred Songs - Flagstad)