New York Philharmonic – Harry Bicket, conductor. December 17, 2019.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat T14, $51.75).

Program

Messiah (1741) by Handel (1685-1759)

Artists

Louise Alder, soprano; Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor; Joshua Ellicott, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone.

Handel and Haydn Society Choir, Harry Christophers, director.

Eric Bartlett, cello; Stuart Stephenson, trumpet; Andrew Henderson, organ; Paolo Bordignon, harpsichord

We would like to go to a Messiah concert every season, and usually enjoyed the experience.  This concert was no exception.  I don’t know how often I characterize these concerts as great, this certainly came close.

I do want to record some of my observations, good or bad, as they help me in recalling the specifics.

The soloists did great, most of the time.  Perhaps due to our seats on the right side of the auditorium, sometimes their voices seemed to drop off a bit.  Burton sometimes came across as being too soft, probably because he wanted to provide contrast in the volume.  Alder generally did well, but I thought she could do better with the air “I know that my redeemer liveth” where she cut the last words short.  Costanzo was a last minute replacement for the ailing Iestyn Davies; he sang the same role last year.  The tenor Ellicott was solid.

The chorus is from Boston, and per the Program Notes they have been performing for 205 consecutive seasons – the longest of any performing arts organization in America.  They gave Messiah’s US premiere in 1818.  Their sound was much richer than one would expect from their size – 44 singers.  I was impressed with their dynamic range, and the soprano section’s silken smooth rendering of the high notes.

The audience was very appreciative of the performance.  The soloists are Burton, Ellicott, Costanzo, and Alder.  The trumpeteer Stephenson is on the left of this photo.

On some prior occasions I lamented how sloppy the orchestra could be – probably because they took the piece for granted.  Today they did very well.  We thought the trumpet messed up a little at one point.  Towards the end the strings used no vibrato; well, the NY Phil is no period orchestra, they sounded a bit on the stiff side.

This is a lengthy composition, so things got a little sloppy towards the end, especially for the chorus.

I do wonder about what edition of the oratorio we used.  I know the oratorio quite well, but some numbers sounded different to me.

We have seen Harry Bicket conduct the Metropolitan Opera a couple of times.  He seemed to be in control all the time, and led the artists with precision.

I was a bit tired, and it was raining.  I made a last-minute decision to drive in, and it was okay.  We had takeout food in our car.