Messiah Review Concert Review: Messiah

Messiah Review

Concert Review: Messiah Refreshed at the Lincoln Center

An Updated Classic

Even though most people probably couldn't hum Handel's Messiah or recognize it if they heard it on the radio (though it wouldn't be likely to be coming over the radio waves, either), the pairing of the composer's name with the title chorale-and-orchestra piece is something many would find familiar. First performed in Dublin in 1742, a little more than half-a-year after it was composed in a mad dash of twenty-four days, the Messiah -- labeled an oratorio, which is a specific type of instrumental and chorale setting for religious texts -- took some time to gain momentum but was to become and to remain one of the most well-known works of its type and of all classical music (Burrows, 1991; Stapert, 2010). It is now one of the most frequently performed chorale works of all types, and certainly of the oratorio genre, and has been so since the nineteenth century (Luckett, 1992). This popularity is responsible for making at least the title of the piece so well-known.

With a work so well-known that its reputation precedes its sound, it might seem arrogant for anyone in the modern era to update this work. This is exactly what occurred in 1959 however, according to the notes on the concert contained in the programs distributed as the crowd filtered into the concert hall at Lincoln Center. That was the year that Thomas Beecham and Eugene Goossens composed an arrangement of the work for a full symphony orchestra, which first premiered at the Lincoln Center half a century ago and was played again as one more link a long chain of evenings celebrating this well-loved work.

Interestingly, the update that the piece received in this new arrangement back in 1959 is somewhat fitting given Handel's history and the history of the piece itself. Born in Germany in the late seventeenth century, Handel moved to England relatively early in his adulthood and became a full English citizen in 1727 (Lang, 1997). Though both nations and cultures love to claim the composer as their own, the Messiah makes an undeniable statement of Handel's state of expatriation and his adoption of his new country and its people. Unlike a great many oratorios and other religious music that involved singing, where the words sung were often in Latin or in Latinate languages, Handel composed the Messiah for an English-language text compiled/written by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer (Burrows, 1991; Stapert, 2010). Though this signaled a definite adoption of Handel's long-time home, the piece's premier in Ireland, its postponed debut in England, and its initially tepid reception all made it something of a bastard child for the composer and his country for at least a short while (Lang, 1997; Lcukett, 1992).

This could hardly be guessed at by the sense of excitement and enthusiasm in the crowd at the Lincoln Center on November 27th. Here, the people eager to see this updated and slightly Americanized version of the chorale and orchestral piece seemed to signal that in yet another adopted home, the Messiah found new life just as it continued to find life throughout the world. The update that the piece received in 1959 was a fitting way to bring the oratorio into the New World both in terms of geography and historical progression.

Enjoying the Music

The historical background of the composer, this piece of music, and the trajectory of its familiarity and updating all seemed to fade I importance as the lights on the crowd faded and the sounds of the assembled orchestra tuning faded into silence. The transportation began as the first notes were played, and throughout the piece the crowd remained entirely enraptured -- and rightfully so. It is by no means an accident that this piece is as respected or as cherished as it is, and the fact that Handel's work had been re-arranged from the original to include a full modern orchestra did not detract from or degrade the original beauty or clarity of the piece in the slightest. Though it would be impossible to compare the original arrangement of the Messiah to the one played in concert that night without hearing them both in the same hall, and with the same basic surrounding of such a rapt and appreciative audience, one might even go so far as to say that the piece is dramatically improved by the larger and fuller sound that the orchestra provides.

The singing was also quite powerful and quite beautiful, and the international mix of these singers (and of the orchestra) was another fitting tribute to Handel's multinational background. The blend of voices and the range of some of the singers was literally breathtaking at moments, and the fact that one could feel the rest of the audience holding their breath at the same time made the sense of shared inspiration instilled by the music itself that much stronger. When it comes to clarity and richness of tone, it is difficult to imagine a more perfect sound than these voices in this hall.