By JAMES D. WATTS JR. Scene Writer on Dec 10, 2012, at 12:26 PM Updated on 12/10 at 12:26 PM
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The most dramatic addition to the Signature Symphony’s performance Saturday evening of Handel’s “Messiah” was actually the least necessary.
To inaugurate the orchestra’s “New Dimensions” series, which will explore musical history and concepts through multi-media presentations, the Signature Symphony created a slideshow to accompany its performance of Handel’s oratorio – hundreds of images of paintings, most of them featuring biblical subjects, interspersed with projections of the work’s libretto, complete with the scripture references for each passage.
It’s something the orchestra has done in the past – a 1998 performance of Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ” comes to mind – but in this instance it did not have quite the desired effect. The screens used could not do justice to the more panoramic images, turning them into near-abstractions.
In any case, what the orchestra and vocalists were doing on stage was vivid enough that no visualizations were needed.
Artistic director Barry Epperley led a compact, 20-piece orchestra and a 40-voice chorus in a stirring performance of this well-known work.
Epperley’s decision to have little or no pause between various sections gave the piece an energy and urgency that was rare and bracing, and which emphasized the underlying drama of Handel’s music.
Even the occasional rough passages – strings not being quite in sync, or a less-than-clear note from the trumpet – managed to work in the music’s favor, evoking the unique dissonance of Baroque period instruments.
Tenor Stefan Barner and soprano Susannah Brooks were the most impressive of the vocal soloists. Barner was especially forceful, with a rich tone and clear diction that made each recitative and aria thrilling. Brooks brought a very personal approach to several of her arias, with embellishments and phrasing choices that made this familiar music sound tantalizingly new.
Alto April Golliver needed a bit of time to find her vocal footing, but her performance gained confidence and strength as the evening progressed. Conversely, bass Tim Turner made it through “Thus Saith the Lord” reasonably well, but “The Trumpet Shall Sound” was beyond his abilities.
The Signature Chorale was in excellent voice throughout the evening. The chorus’ relatively small size meant that such elements as the fugue-like lines in the chorus “For Unto Us a Child is Born” were clearly and cleanly delineated. Yet it had more than enough power to make such climactic moments as the “Hallelujah” chorus and the concluding “Amen” resonate throughout the hall.
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