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Sandström was obviously not swayed by the ghost of Handel in creating this new work. Not only does the piece speak with a completely new musical vocabulary, it’s marked by fresh structure and emphasis. Where Handel’s Messiah features a solo aria, Sandström’s may feature a trio, a tenor/baritone duet or even a chorus. And more germane to the message of the piece, the emphasis of the text is fresh as well, and aptly so. After all, isn’t there more than one way to think about a passage like, “The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light”? Are we to be struck especially by the darkness or the light? With this and other passages in the libretto, Sandström’s points of emphasis differ from Handel’s, but in ways that make sense, that even make new sense, I would say. For example, the opening chorus in Handel’s Messiah, “Comfort ye my people”, is a calming tenor aria set in a bright major key, whereas in Sandström’s it’s a dark, poignant, pleading chorus set in minor.
There’s also a fresh sense of pacing with the Jennens libretto, partly owed to freedom from baroque forms. We’re used to hearing many parts of Handel’s Messiah twice every time we have the pleasure of their company as repetition is a basic structural element in the arias. The trade-off in moving away from that is that the drama unfolds with a noticeably different sense of momentum in the Sandström piece. The new work is about a half hour shorter than Handel’s. The effectiveness of that pacing is something that only the individual listener can asses. Personally, I think it worked very well.
I learned last night that Sandström’s Messiah will be recorded in Europe this fall and made available on CD at next year’s Oregon Bach Festival. That’s great news. Certainly OBF audiences will welcome it. Their enthusiasm last night could hardly be contained as they all but leaped over seats in rising for ten minutes of sustained applause—very much deserved.Tags:
October 7, 2009 at 7:30pm to October 1, 2010 at 7:30pm – State Theater - Elizabethtown, KY
The Kentucky Vocal Union, a men's acappella ensemble from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, is holding auditions for all parts. The KVU performs original 4 to 8 part arrangements of many styles of music.
Organized by Aaron Keith Dale | Type: audition, announcement
December 1, 2009 at 3pm to May 31, 2010 at 10pm – Bergen County, Northern NJ
The contest will be taken place in Bloomfield NJ whenever there is enough people to compete (even if it means waiting until 2010). Please read everything below carefully. If you would like to auditio…
Organized by Rachel Menconi | Type: competition
December 1, 2009 at 3pm to May 31, 2010 at 10pm – Bergen County, Northern NJ
The contest will be taken place in Bloomfield NJ whenever there is enough people to compete (even if it means waiting until 2010). Please read everything below carefully. If you would like to auditio…
Organized by Rachel Menconi | Type: competition
March 14, 2010 from 2pm to 3:15pm – Rose City Presbyterian Church
Gregorio Allegri: (1582-1652) Miserere J.S. Bach: Cantata #156, Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe! J.S. Bach: Cantata #182, Himmelskönig, sei willkommen Soloists: Soprano, Alto, Irene Weldon Tenor, By…
Organized by Irene Weldon | Type: concert
March 14, 2010 from 4pm to 6pm – The George Washington Masonic Memorial
Hear Brahms's beloved masterwork presented in a rarely performed and very intimate version, composed by Brahms in 1869, for two pianos, chorus and soloists. The Maryland Choral Society proudly annou…
Organized by Maryland Choral Society | Type: concert
March 14, 2010 from 6pm to 8pm – The Philadelphia Cathedral
The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, led by Matthew Glandorf, presents ANCIENT LITURGIES, a unique program explores how music and ritualism unite as a common expression towards a spiritual transc…
Organized by The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia | Type: concert
March 26, 2010 at 6pm to March 30, 2010 at 11pm – Tuscany, Italy
2nd Toscana Music Festival 26.03. - 30.03.2010 International festival of choirs and orchestras in Tuscany (Italy) TUSCANY – The land of cypresses and rolling hills Italy's most popular holiday regi…
Organized by MRF MusicFestivals | Type: acda, choir, choral, chorus, competition, encounter, festival, italy
March 28, 2010 from 2pm to 4:30pm – Mondavi Center, One Shields Avenue Davis, Ca. 95616
The Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra with Conductor Donald Kendrick present Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem". Discover why Brahms' Requiem may be the most comforting, humane requiem ever writt…
Organized by Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra | Type: concert
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