The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Hits No. 1 . . . and No. 2 on Billboard Chart, Again
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square's new recording of George Frideric Handel's Messiah (Mack Wilberg edition) took the top two spots of Billboard's Current Classical Traditional Chart for the third week in a row since release according to numbers released this week.
The historic recording is provided in two offerings: the Complete Oratorio (54 tracks) and the Highlights edition (14 tracks), which includes the best-known pieces from Messiah. The Complete Oratorio has held the #1 spot since its release on March 4, 2016. The Highlights version took over the #2 spot the second week after release and continues to hold its position since.
"We are so pleased that this work has been received so well," Wilberg said. "This project was an honor to record, and we hope that those who love Messiah, classical music, and the Choir will enjoy it for years to come."
Featured on the recording are four renowned soloists from around the word: Sonya Yoncheva from Bulgaria, Tamara Mumford from the United States, Rolando Villazón from Mexico, and Bryn Terfel from Wales.
"We were very fortunate in engaging some of the great singers of our time," Wilberg stated. "In fact, it's very much an international cast of singers, not unlike Handel's day when his own various performances of Messiah featured some of the greatest singers of his day from continental Europe."
The Complete Oratorio and Highlights versions of Messiah by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and DeseretBook.com.
