'Messiah' drew acclaim and appreciation
THE Rev Glenn Cannon reviewed Todmorden Choral Society's recent production of Handel's Messiah - but Glenn's email never reached us. He has now re-submitted his review, which is included below.
NOW I will travel to hear a Baroque interpretation of Handel's 'Messiah.'
Not that I don't appreciate the later edition by Mozart, 40 years after Handel's death, but for me it sounds like 'Handel dressed up as Mozart.' As a symphonist, Mozart added more woodwind and brass and gave the assignment of the arias that were to become the basis of the 1902 'Prout' edition.
Harold Watkins Shaw's research, accessing Handel's own conductor's score, culminated in his own edition of "Messiah" and a return to the original Baroque settings, including a choice of aria assignment and some less frequently heard rhythmic alternatives. It was this edition that Todmorden Choral Society chose for their 2009 performance.
It was thus with a much smaller orchestra and with four new young soloists that we were treated to a crisp and spirited performance drawing acclaim and appreciation.
Contralto Rowena Burton had clearly paid careful attention to the conventions of Baroque interpretation and pronunciation. It was to her capable voice that the re-instated aria "Thou art gone up on high" was entrusted and it was a delight to hear.
John Bispham brought a lighter, more lyrical touch to the Bass role than the more usual declamatory style and as a true Bass Baritone he had no difficulty in sustaining and bringing crescendo to the lower notes of his wide range.
Zoe Milton-Brown has assembled an impressive operatic portfolio for such a young soprano. Her performance of "I know that my Redeemer liveth," perhaps the defining Soprano aria of the work, was quite exquisite.
Tenor David Shaw was an outstanding performer. His diction was unassailable and his tonal quality and accuracy, especially in the breathtaking runs of "Thou shalt break them" was superb.
The relationship of the much smaller orchestra to the choir was splendid.
This was an orchestra that was tuned like a Ferrari and although in the opening chorus conductor Anthony Brannick had to work hard to keep the choir up to speed, they quickly settled in together and gave a performance that was a sheer joy to hear.
Lighter orchestration gave clarity to the subtle interplay between the strings, the oboes and bassoon and the trumpets.
On the few occasions when trumpets were needed (they made a discreet cameo appearance in the side wings for "Glory to God" before taking their desks in the second half) their brilliance and clarity shone through, nowhere better that in the excellent "Trumpet shall sound" aria where John Bispham's fluency and accuracy was almost transcended by the exuberant delight of Julie Ryan's solo trumpet.
The standards reached by the choir in the triple set of choruses beginning with "Surely, He hath borne our griefs" set up a great expectation for the second half and we were not disappointed. The "Hallelujah" chorus was the best that I have heard in ten years here in Todmorden.
The contrast of tone and shade between the unaccompanied choral passages of "Since by man came death" and the vigorous response of the orchestra set us up for the powerful and memorable closing Chorus and "Amen."
And I didn't have to travel! With this racy new 'Formula 1 Messiah,' I was back at home by 10 pm, toasting Tod Choral Society in a glass of red wine.
So how about re-instating even more of the traditional cuts for the future?
I wouldn't mind staying later to hear even more of a such good thing!
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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