Handel's The Messiah

On Sunday my mother, sister, and I travelled to Kansas City to see Handel's The Messiah preformed by the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Preforming Arts Centre. Where do I begin!? From the beginning I suppose, the performance was at 2:00pm, and we arrived about an hour prior. Helzburg Hall is beautiful; it's modern in it's architecture, and the design is imaginative and unique. Now, of course, that's my opinion, but see for yourself here and here.

The first thing we did was check our coats into the cloakroom, which I discovered to be very underutilised. Afterwards, we made our way to our seats which were on the highest row of seating to stage left. Visibility was limited, but as the hall was designed, we lacked very little in sound quality.

The first violinist, Conductor Aram Demirjian, Soprano Yulia Van Doren, Mezzo-Soprano Abigail Fischer, Tenor David Portillo, and Bass Liam Moran were applauded onto on stage and the overture began. The tenor has the first recitative in the oratorio singing Comfort Ye My People followed immediately by Every Valley Shall Be Exalted. David Portillo sang it well, and added quite a few flourishes. Then the first choir recitative is sung: And The Glory Of The Lord. There is nothing on earth like being in a concert hall when a choir of over 100 people are singing (125 are listed in the program), the sound is so powerful you can feel it, it sends shivers down my spine, I'll rave about the Hallelujah chorus when I get there. Next up was the Bass singing Thus Saith The Lord Of Hosts and But Who May Abide The Day Of His Coming. He did well also, but I've heard better recordings. After that, the Mezzo-Soprano sang But Who May Abide The Day Of His Coming. Again, she did well, but the piece really does not not suit the mezzo-soprano, the contralto yes, and possibly the alto, but in my opinion, not the mezzo, besides the fact that I prefer this recitative to be sung an octave lower by the bass. Carrying on, after a chorus recitative, another alto, alto/chorus, and two Bass, is the first Soprano recitative, is There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Fields, and Yulia Van Doren was spectacular, she was one of the highlights of the evening for me! The Intermission was taken between the first and second parts of the oratorio, which is after the twenty first "part": His Yoke Is Easy, And His Burden Is Light. Some of the recitatives were changed either by omission or by being sung an octave higher or lower by a different singer, none in the the first part The Advent Of The Messiah were omitted or changed. Of the second part The Passion Of Christ the tenor recitative But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul In Hell was sung by the Soprano (a change which I thoroughly enjoyed), parts 2/12-2/15 (34-37) which are traditionally omitted were in this performance, as well as the chorus recitatives There Sound Is Gone Out and Let Us Break Their Bonds. From the third part, Resurrection; Then Shall Be Brought To Pass, O Death! Where Is Thy Sting?, But Thanks Be to God, and If God Be for Us were omitted (which was too bad because I would have loved to hear Yulia Van Doren sing If God Be For Us). Other Notes: I have never heard Handel's Messiah played and sung so fast, I guess it was to keep the performance time reasonable, along with the omissions. The conductor was amusing to watch, he even left the ground at times. He apparently preferred the choir to be somewhat staccato, which was perhaps for clarity, I wouldn't know, in fact I don't think I can even give an educated opinion on him so I shan't. We all had a marvellous time. But truly, the best part was the Hallelujah chorus. Most of the audience immediately rose when it began, everyone else got the memo very quickly. The sound of over one hundred voices (including some of the audience) blended with the large pipe organ, almost drowning out the orchestra, the timpani boomed, and the trumpet's sound rose over it all. It was electrifying and absolutely magnificent!

An Evening At The Symphony

On Saturday evening I, along with my mother and sister, went to the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and it was perfectly delightful! Upon entry to the foyer of the theatre we were greeted by the sound of strings, and the murmur of people bustling about. Ah! Culture. The pre-concert music at that time was a children's Suzuki violin class. I heard the first "Twinkle" variation, Go Tell Aunt Rody, Long, Long Ago, and other pieces from violin Suzuki book 1. They did very well. There was a very wide range of dress: from tuxedos and cocktail dresses to (the horror) shorts and casual dress. I even saw a man in a kilt! I'm serious, see, I took a picture:

Here is a picture of me, my mother, and my sister dressed up for the theatre.

After the Suzuki class finished playing, a young quintet took over. Here is a picture of them from the top floor.

Coincidentally, they fist played one of my favourite pieces: Dvorák’s Humoresque No.7 Op.101, then one of Kari's favourites: the first movement of Strauss' On the Beautiful Blue Danube waltz, and one other piece that I've heard before but cannot remember what it is called, nor who composed it, and it's bothering me... it's mysterious, haunting minor strains play over and over in my mind, but alas, I cannot identify them.{Update: I've found out what it is! It's the first movement of Karl Jenkins' Palladio}

We sat in the "Petite Balcony" (i.e. where the cheapest seats are) *ahem*, and being so far from the stage makes me very thankful for my pretty mother-of-pearl opera glasses. Here is a picture of the orchestra from our seats.

The first piece of the evening was Paul Dukas' Fanfare to the Ballet La Peri, which, to be quite honest, was not thrilling. I am embarrassed to say I thought the brass section was merely warming up, until just about the end of the short piece. Afterwards, violinist Chee-Yun was welcomed on stage to preform the solo violin in Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor Op. 63. It was amazing! I highly recommend the piece if you've never heard it before. It was interesting to me to compare it to the Shostakovich String Quartet pieces I've been listening to recently. Chee-Yun did very well, and afterwards preformed an encore of Fritz Kreisler's Recitato and Schezo. After the Intermission, the Orchestra played Ruggiero Leoncavallo's Intermezzo from Pagliacci followed by the lovely Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. The final piece of the evening was Ottorino Respighi's The Pines of Rome, which comprises four movements, played without stopping, that guide the listener on a nocturnal tour of Rome starting at twilight near a villa where children are playing, then trough the catacombs where one can hear the echoes of an evening chant from a distant monastery, upon emerging from the catacombs one is greeted by the brilliant moon and a nightingale singing in the distance, and finally to Appian way where the sound of the sunrise mimics the sound of an army marching, starting far away and getting closer, closer, then it's here in it's full glory. I'm thankful I have a program to remind me what each movement is supposed to be about. My personal thoughts on the piece are less grand: I liked the second movement best, and I thought it was really neat that they used a big gong on stage. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

A Birthday Special

Today is the birthday of a special musician and friend of mine and to mark the occasion I am posting a list of several famous composer's birth dates (and a picture of a neat cake). Have a blessed day!

1. 21 March, 1685 - Johann Sebastian Bach
2. 27 January, 1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3. 16 December, 1770 - Ludwig van Beethoven
4. 23 Febuary, 1685 - George Frideric Handel
5. 4 March, 1678 - Antinio Vivaldi
6. 7 May, 1833 - Johannes Brahms
7. 7 May, 1840 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
8. 31 January, 1797 - Franz Schubert
9. 1 March, 1810 - Frédréic Chopin
10. 1 April, 1873 - Sergei Rachmaninoff
11. 8 June, 1810 - Robert Schumann
12. 22 August, 1862 - Claude Debussey
13. 22 May, 1813 - Richard Wagner
14. 26 September, 1898 - George Gershwin
15. 8 Febuary, 1932 - John Williams
16. 14 March, 1681 - Georg Philipp Telemann
17. 6 November, 1854 - Joseph Sousa
18. 25 March, 1927 - Béla Bartók

On another note (pun intended)... Ma Sœur has refreshed her blog Riding Down the Lane and has begun posting on things she enjoys, such as herbs, wild edibles, cooking, and knitting. Click here to go to her blog

Picture Reference (link)

Claude Debussy

August 22, 1862 is the birthday of Claude Debussy, one of the most famous Impressionist composers.

When I post these short birthday posts I will select a highlight from the life of that person and (hopefully) write something interesting.

For M. Claude Debussy this highlight shall be the Prix de Rome.

Prix de Rome translated from French means "Price of Rome". Begun in 1663, Le Prix was orignally created as a scholarship for art students. The winners were given several years study in Rome with all expenses paid. At the scholarship's beginning it was offered to painters and sculpters, but was expanded in time to include architects, engravers, and to our interest, musical compositon. Annually, aspiring composers from the Paris Conservatory would submit a single piece for the contest. In 1884 Claude Debussy won this coveted prize with his composition: L'Enfant Prodigue (translation: the child prodigy) at the age of 22. Other famous composers who won this prize include Hector Berlioz, Georges Bizet, and Jules Massenet. Maurice Ravel, another famous Impressionist composer contempery of Debussy, tried to win, but came in thrid place.

Some of Debussy's works include:
~Arabsques I&II
~His Etudes (I'm listening to No. 11 right now)
~La Mer
~His Nocturnes
~Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (forgive my lack of accent marks)
~Suite Bergamasque
~His Violin Sonata (which I really like, especially the Allegro Viva)

Google also recognised Debussy's 151th birthday with a Doodle inspired by Clair de Lune (translation: Moonlight) from Debussey's suite Bergamasque, more specifically: the third movement.

Below is a link to a video of my favourite Debussy piece: Arabesque No. 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1PFa_ltF6k&feature=youtube_gdata_player/a>r
(For those who cannot play it on the piano for themselves.)

Posted via DraftCraft app

Classical Music Review: Handel's "Messiah"

I have recently enjoyed watching a full preformance of George F. Handel's "Messiah". I can only describe the two and a half hour preformance as awe-inspiring, not only for the composer, the conductor, the orcestra, the singers, and the choir, but more importantly for the Messiah of whom this oratorio is about.

In the version I saw the proformers conststed of a chamber orchestra, a boy's choir, a soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. This oratorio is preformed in movements (see complete list of movements below) featuring one or more of the afore mentioned performers. For example, two of my favourite movements are #50 O Death, where is thy sting? featuring the Alto and the Tenor and #52 If God be for us, who can be against us? featuring the Soprano. There is no set key for the entire preformance, so every movement has its own independant key, but if you are wondering, the Hallelujah Chorus is in D. Every sung movement is a passage of scripture from the KJV. It is extemely powerful in the order it is sung, as well as the music that accompanies it. One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this work is that the majority of the Scripture is Messianic prophecy from the Old Testament. Here is a web address that lists all of the scriptures for each movement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_of_Handel's_Messiah

We have all (hopefully) heard the most famous part of "Messiah": the Hallelujah Chorus. It conjures up a feeling of grandure, majesty, of hope, and of joy. Did you know is tradtional to stand during the Hallelujah Chorus? This tradition supposedly originated when King George II rose during the chorus, and everyone in the theater did the same, and that began the tradition of rising during the Hallujah Chorus. This is the most widely proposed theory, but there are more. Why did the king rise? Here are some of the most popular speculations: because he was moved by the music, or because he was moved by the Majesty of God. But there is so much more to this oratorio. It covers the promise of Salvation, the reason of this Salvation: the coming judement, the prophecies of the coming Salvation, the angelicly heralded birth of this Salvation, His life, the emence sorrow and grief of His death, of His subsequent victory over death, of the victory over death (the wages of sin Rom.3:23) that we may obtain through Him, and of the awe-inspiring glory of this Salvation... and more. So, in conclution, I would highly recomend seeing Handel's "Messiah" in it's entirety, I was certainly blessed amd I hope you would be as well. Below is a link to the version I saw on YouTube.

Part I
Scene 1: Isaiah's prophecy of salvation
1. Sinfony (instrumental)
2. Comfort ye my people (tenor)
3. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted (tenor)
4. And the glory of the Lord (chorus)

Scene 2: The coming judgment
5. Thus saith the Lord of hosts (bass)
6. But who may abide the day of His coming (alto)
7. And he shall purify the sons of Levi (chorus)

Scene 3: The prophecy of Christ's birth
8. Behold, a virgin shall conceive (alto)
9. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (alto and chorus)
10. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (bass)
11. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light (bass)
12. For unto us a child is born (chorus)

Scene 4: The annunciation to the shepherds
13. Pifa ("pastoral symphony": instrumental)
14a. There were shepherds abiding in the fields (soprano)
14b. And lo, the angel of the Lord (soprano)
15. And the angel said unto them (soprano)
16. And suddenly there was with the angel (soprano)
17. Glory to God in the highest (chorus)

Scene 5: Christ's healing and redemption
18. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (soprano)
19. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened (soprano)
20. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd (alto and soprano)
21. His yoke is easy (chorus)

Part II
Scene 1: Christ's Passion
22. Behold the Lamb of God (chorus)
23. He was despised and rejected of men (alto)
24. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (chorus)
25. And with his stripes we are healed (chorus)
26. All we like sheep have gone astray (chorus)
27. All they that see him laugh him to scorn (tenor)
28. He trusted in God that he would deliver him (chorus)
29. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart (tenor or soprano)
30. Behold and see if there be any sorrow (tenor or soprano)

Scene 2: Christ's Death and Resurrection
31. He was cut off (tenor or soprano)
32. But thou didst not leave his soul in hell (tenor or soprano)

Scene 3: Christ's Ascension
33. Lift up your heads, O ye gates (chorus)

Scene 4: Christ's reception in Heaven
34. Unto which of the angels (tenor)
35. Let all the angels of God worship Him (chorus)

Scene 5: The beginnings of Gospel preaching
36. Thou art gone up on high (soprano)
37. The Lord gave the word (chorus)
38. How beautiful are the feet (soprano)
39. Their sound is gone out (chorus)

Scene 6: The world's rejection of the Gospel
40. Why do the nations so furiously rage together (bass)
41. Let us break their bonds asunder (chorus)
42. He that dwelleth in heaven (tenor)

Scene 7: God's ultimate victory
43. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron (tenor)
44. Hallelujah (chorus)

Part III
Scene 1: The promise of eternal life
45. I know that my Redeemer liveth (soprano)
46. Since by man came death (chorus)

Scene 2: The Day of Judgment
47. Behold, I tell you a mystery (bass)
48. The trumpet shall sound (bass)

Scene 3: The final conquest of sin
49. Then shall be brought to pass (alto)
50. O death, where is thy sting (alto and tenor)
51. But thanks be to God (chorus)
52. If God be for us, who can be against us (soprano)

Scene 4: The acclamation of the Messiah
53. Worthy is the Lamb (chorus)
Amen (chorus)


Below is a link to the version I saw preformed by The Choir of King's College in Cambridge. The only warning is that the gowns of the alto and sorprano are immodest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZTZRtRFkvk&feature=youtube_gdata_player /a>

Posted via DraftCraft app