David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. Orchestra (Seat X103, $0).
After Part 1. From the left: Soloists John Holiday, Amanda Forsythe, Nicholas Phan, and Kevin Deas.
Program
Messiah (1741) by Handel (1685-1759).
Artists
Amanda Forsythe, soprano; John Holiday, countertenor; Nicholas Phan, tenor; Kevin Deas, bass-baritone
Music of the Baroque Chorus, Andrew Megill, chorus director
Continuo: Carter Brey, cello; Timothy Cobb, bass; Christopher Martin, trumpet; Kent Trittle, organ; Paolo Bordignon, harpsichordeve
Because of our travel towards the end of the year, we could attend only this Messiah concert for this season. (We were in the Boston area but couldn't attend an H+H concert because of other commitments; the NJ Symphony events will take place while we are out of town.) And it didn't disappoint, mostly.
A couple of "peculiarities" stand out with Jane Glover's take on the music. First is she seemed to like to introduce the different lines quietly - instead of stressing how they should sound at the beginning. It took me a while to get used to that, but it was generally to good effect. And she seemed to do less of it in Acts 2 and 3. The other is how the word "like" was stressed in the chorus "For we like sheep." The word falls in the 4th beat of the measure, so the loudness sounded a bit awkward (for me, anyway). We heard her 10 years ago, and I made a similar remark. (I just saw a YouTube broadcast of her conducting Huddersfield Choral Society Northern Sinfonia, there the word isn't stressed.)
The soprano was the weakest among the soloists. For Act 1 she sang like she was singing a Bel Canto opera, which was quite a contrast with how her counterparts did their job. She "calmed down" a bit in Acts 2 and 3. One of the highlights of the oratorio is the aria "I know that my redeemer liveth." The quality and volume of her voice lacked the consistency to make it memorable.
Not memorable can still be quite good. As were many other choruses and solos. The trumpet - played by the orchestra's principal Christopher Martin - was a standout. I could barely see or hear the three reed instruments listed (2 oboes and 1 bassoon).
Last time we heard Glover conduct the Messiah the choir was from Westminster Choir College. Today's ensemble hails from Chicago, and Glover was its director at one time. It would be nice to hear the Westminster ensemble again. I looked at their website, it seems they are not very active this season.
The gentleman on the left is probably the chorus director.
All in all it was a really enjoyable event.
No comments:
Post a Comment