Prudential Hall
at NJPAC, Newark, NJ. Tier 4 (Seat D101,
$26.10).
Program
Handel’s MESSIAH
Artists
Nathalie Paulin,
soprano; Mireille Lebel, mezzo-soprano; Isaiah Bell, tenor; Gordon Bintner,
bass-baritone.
Montclair State
University Singers, Heather J. Buchanan, director.
About 20 people
from church, most associated with our Youth Choir, attended this concert. Anne got these (already) inexpensive tickets
at a group discount, and we were able to get parking vouchers at $10 per car
(thus saving $6 per car.) All in all a
great deal. As it happens, another 15 or
so people from our church went to the performance in Neptune the night before.
I was pleased to
see that the attendance was quite good, at least in the Tier we were in. We had a great view of the stage, but it was
so far enough away that I could barely make out the different people on it.
The sound was a
bit on the soft side, but came across quite well, as expected. I also noticed that the cello was used more in
the continuo (compared to New York Philharmonic, which also used the bass.) Also here the same person played both the
harpsichord and the organ, and he had to move from one bench to the other
frequently, carrying the music with him.
Overall it was a
good performance. Nothing fancy like
what the New York Philharmonic was trying to do, just a competent rendition of
the oratorio. I am sure anyone listening
carefully can find some issues, but I had no problem sitting through the entire
event even though it heard it only a few days ago.
And the
verdict? On the occasion where I could do a head-to-head comparison, I thought this was a better overall
performance than the New York Philharmonic one.
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