`Messiah' by Chorus marvelous.Byline: Dan Sweeney COLUMN: MUSIC REVIEW WORCESTER - With thunderous, joyous applause, a near-capacity Mechanics Hall Mechanics Hall (and variants Mechanic's Hall and Mechanics' Hall) may refer to:
This question has motivated countless hours of research, and even careers, as to what is the definitive "Messiah" performance, an effort that can be grouped under the general heading of the "Messiah" Myth. The myths abound, beginning with the easiest one that "Messiah" was never meant to be associated with the Advent season, an English/North American tradition. Charles Jennens Charles Jennens (1700 – 20 November 1773) was an English landowner and patron of the arts, who assembled the text for five of Handel's oratorios: Saul, Israel in Egypt, L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Messiah, and , the librettist li·bret·tist n. The author of a libretto. Noun 1. librettist - author of words to be set to music in an opera or operetta author, writer - writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay) for the piece, intended it for Passion Week, which, in its three parts, was to celebrate the totality of the Christian faith, and not just the Nativity story. Originality of score and size of performance are harder myths to dispel. We do have the autographed copy of the score from Dublin, 1742, but even that score was changed for the first performance, and every performance thereafter. It is clear that the changes were instituted to fit the particular performances, and not a search for perfection. Handel was not Bach trying to perfect his "St. John's Passion." Handel was a showman, and "Messiah" was a cash cow Cash Cow 1. One of the four categories (quadrants) in the BCG growth-share matrix that represents the division within a company that has a large market share within a mature industry. 2. . Size of performance is more of a phenomenon than myth. "Messiah" grew after Handel's death as an everyman's community sing. For example, in the 1859 centenary celebration of Handel's death, a performance in England fielded a chorus of 2,765, and an orchestra of 460! For Saturday's performance, Music Director Andrew Clark Sir Andrew Clark, 1st Baronet (October 28, 1826 - November 6, 1893), Scottish physician and pathologist, was born at Aberdeen. His father, who also was a physician, died when he was only a few years old. deployed a more modest chorus of 103, with four soloists and an orchestra of 28. The orchestra was marvelous. Maestro Clark kept a tight rein on his players, presenting a clear, yet exciting orchestra sound, beginning with the French-style overture, the orchestral interludes, and accompaniment music. The soloists were star-studded. Tenor Matthew DiBattista began with a grabbing, yet soothing "Comfort ye," which set the mood of the evening. His "Thou shalt shalt aux.v. Archaic A second person singular present tense of shall. break them with a rod of iron" was as determined a rendering as I've heard. Soprano Elizabeth Turchi's presence and facial expressions on stage reminded me of Maria Callas Noun 1. Maria Callas - Greek coloratura soprano (born in the United States) known for her dramatic intensity in operatic roles (1923-1977) Callas, Maria Meneghini Callas , and her voice is as agile. Her "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!" was a tour de force, and "I know my Redeemer liveth," strongly convincing. Mezzo mez·zo n. pl. mez·zos A mezzo-soprano. mezzo Adverb Music moderately; quite: mezzo-forte Noun pl -zos Gigi Mitchell-Velasco, singing the alto sections, was slightly underpowered. She has a wonderful dark hue that shines through when it is full-throated, but to her defense I will say that the continuo continuo or basso continuo In Baroque music, a special subgroup of an instrumental ensemble. It consists of two instruments reading the same part: a bass instrument, such as a cello or bassoon, and a chordal instrument, most often a harpsichord but sometimes could have been toned down a bit as it drowned out her lighter phrases. Baritone Sumner Thompson was the find of the evening. With presence, conviction, phrasing and diction, he is the real thing. With every passage he pulled you to him. His final aria, "The trumpet shall sound," accompanied wonderfully by trumpeter Jonathan Clark, was definitive. The members of the Worcester Chorus, as always, were at their best. You can see that they truly love singing for Mr. Clark. |
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