(" "), is 's only oratorio, and it is among the least often played of 's major mature works. It is neither fish nor fowl in a way; despite its religious subject, there is little of the sacred about it, at least until a big fugue comes in to save the day. was plainly uncomfortable with the recitative-and-aria format he inherited from the Classical-period oratorio and tried various strategies to weave the three characters -- Christ, Peter, and a Seraph -- into a semblance of dramatic action. Conductor 's historically oriented reading, with the joining his , emphasizes this dramatic aspect, with pungent period horns playing up the role of the tormented but ultimately heroic Christ. Tenor is idiomatic and effective in this part, outshining the pitch-insecure as the Seraph. There may be little reason to choose a new recording over the one done some years ago by with conductor and the ; they caught the balances in the work perfectly, and 's performance was a powerhouse, but 's reading opens up new avenues of inquiry. ~ James Manheim