City Newspaper Archives - 12/2006
CLASSICAL: "Messiah" (12/7-12/10)
Published by Brenda Tremblay on Dec 06, 2006
The whole Messiah-at-Christmas-thing is a fluke. Handel's famous oratorio actually debuted at Easter time in 1741, and if you Google the lyrics, you'll see only some of it tells the story of Jesus' birth. The whole thing is basically a long gospel tract, originally meant to evangelize. Early performances were staged as fundraisers for the composer's favorite charity, an orphanage in London. Its enduring popularity (and ability to inspire charitable giving) may have led to its present association with Christmas.This season, you have several fine versions of Messiah to choose from (and it's plain Messiah, not The Messiah, even though that's what everybody calls it.)This week, Christopher Seaman will sit down at a harpsichord and play with the RPO and the Rochester Oratorio Society in Eastman Theatre. Seaman has a sense of drama and a light touch, good qualities for pulling off a convincing Messiah. Soloists include Arianna Zukerman, soprano; Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano; John Tessier, tenor; and Stephen Powell, baritone. Eric Townelldirects the ROS, including this writer. Two performances: Thursday, December 7, and Saturday, December 9, at 8 p.m. in Eastman Theatre. $22-$56. 454-2100. rpo.org.
On Sunday, December 10, at 3 p.m. David Fetler will lead soprano Kathryn Blomshield, alto Quinn Patrick, tenor Douglas Ahlstedt, baritone Ted Christopher, the Festival Singers and the Nazareth College Bach Children's Chorus (directed by Karla Krogstad) in another Messiah at the Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 North Plymouth Avenue. Fetler is passionate about text and clarity, and this performance should be quite good, too. $1-$15. 442-9778. roch.com.
