At one time Handel’s music was considered “profane and subversive,” which is something I do not remember learning during high school choir when we would routinely perform the Hallelujah Chorus. Feeling nostalgic for my days in chorus, I took myself to see the Messiah performance at the Bushnell’s Belding Theater.
Before the performance, Edward Cummings, Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, gave a thirty minute talk about the background of Messiah and Handel. The piece was composed, he said, in twenty-four days. That is killer productivity. Another fun fact he shared was that the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus is kind of silly, having been started when King George II stood during it, thus, sparking others to follow suit. Cummings also shared how Beethoven was heavily influenced by Handel and gave examples with the piano.
Tenor Eric Barry was the standout of the four soloists and would have been welcomed to have more time at the front of the stage. Every time I try to describe his style, I come back to the phrase “nothing is contrived.” Feeling stuck, I looked to the performance program for guidance and saw this echoed when they say he is “well regarded amongst his colleagues for his signature sound, musical sincerity, and ease of dramatic expression.” He never appeared to strain himself for dramatic effect. You can listen to some of his audio samples online.
The Hartford Chorale, comprised of 170 singers, was energetic and tight. The New York Times recently pointed out that “[i]ntimacy is not an especially strong suit of the 908-seat Belding Theater.” With good seats, however, one hardly notices the scale of the theater, only the proficiency of the artists on stage.
