Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

Upon its premiere in 2010, Sir Andrew Davis’s reimagined Messiah, as presented by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, was described by The Globe and Mail as a “toe-tapping modern take on a hallowed masterpiece” and a “keeper.” Six years later, just in time for Christmas, the TSO take on Handel’s holiday crowd-pleaser is absolutely a keeper, in the take-home form of a two-CD box set released on the British label Chandos.

Captured live in December, 2015, the recording features soloists Erin Wall, Elizabeth DeShong, Andrew Staples and John Relyea, along with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. And while this second-coming album affords you the luxury to bust out your hallelujahs in the comfort of your own living room, automobile or wherever, there’s nothing like witnessing the Messiah in person.

The TSO presents its annual holiday concert, from Dec. 18 to 23, at Roy Thomson Hall.

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