Gedda makes the Angel worthwhile but I can't stand Schwartzkopf.

The Mormons do a good job but not really very 1740'ish.

I haven't listened to the Sutherland yet.

Vinyl and Music Asylum favor the Beecham, Hogwood and Marriner sets which I plan to acquire.

I had the pleasure of hearing the small-ensemble-with-modern-instruments road show Robert Shaw Chorale live in college back in the sixties which I still remember as incredible. And it's also available, I discover, on vinyl.

Recommend any of these or others?

Bob

I'm a little late, but if you're still watching for responses, I like to have one relatively "authentic" and one wildly inauthentic version on hand. For me that tends to be Gardiner (DG/Archiv) and Beecham. The Marriner is good. I haven't heard the Hogwood.

Most years, btw, I usually wind up giving two or three copies of the Beecham as Christmas presents -- don't even people who dislike classical music need a Messiah for the holiday season?