Charlotte Symphony, -Oratorio Singers surprise
by Dee Grano
The Oratorio Singers of Charlotte is made up of a diverse group of local performers. They performed Handel’s “Messiah” this week. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte Symphony)
“If George Frideric Handel was alive today, he would probably think it strange we perform the ‘Messiah’ at Christmas,” said Dr. Scott Allen Jarrett, a member of the conducting staff of the Charlotte Symphony and music director of the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte.
Jarrett led the orchestra, choir and a team of four soloists in the live performance of the classic oratorio Wednesday, Dec. 14, at Belk Theatre.
For many, listening to Handel’s “Messiah” is a Christmas tradition, though the content of the music tells the larger story of the Christian faith tradition. For those who are not religious or Christian, the quality of the music and a well-delivered performance can still be emotionally moving.
Handel’s “Messiah” tells the story of Christianity in three parts, starting with the prophecy of the coming of a savior and the birth of Jesus, “For Unto Us a Child is Born” (Pt. 1, Scene 3). Part One continues with a story of life, ending with “Christ’s Healing and Redemption” (Scene 5).
Part Two starts with Christ’s Passion (crucifixion and resurrection) and ends with the famous “Halleluiah Chorus” celebrating “God’s Ultimate Victory” (Scene 7) beyond Christmas, Easter and past the conflicted beginnings of Christianity.
Part Three “conveys what the legacy means for us,” Jarrett said of the final movement of “Messiah,” which includes The Day of Judgment (Scene 2).
“Messiah’s” preview of the liturgical year makes its performance fitting for Advent, the four-week period preceding Christmas. Advent literally means “arrival,” or Second Coming. Church music crafted specifically for Advent speaks to waiting and preparation. Not until Dec. 24 will most church organists dust off “The First Noelle” and “Silent Night,” classics heard on the radio since before Thanksgiving.
Writing “Messiah” was a leap of faith for Handel, who made his name writing Italian operas. When public tastes changed in the 1730s, he turned to composing English oratorios, musical works of a spiritual nature that are dramatic but feature no blocking (staged movement) or costumes.
“Messiah’s” drama is punctuated by the choir’s forceful presence as heard in Christ’s Passion (Part Two). Jarrett explains, “The chorus sings, as the crowd’s sneering at tormented Jesus, ‘He trusted in God, and He would deliver Him,’ after which the tenor soloist sings, ‘Thy rebuke hath broken his heart.’ I get weepy every time.”
“Messiah” received a lukewarm reception in England after a glowing debut in Ireland in April 1742. Handel revised “Messiah” several times before it became the piece of music now performed all over the world, traditionally at Christmas.
“The hardest part is to not treat the music as rote and routine,” said Eric Wallace, a bass who has performed with the all-volunteer Oratorio Singers for three years. “Though I’ve sung it several times, this performance might be the only time someone in the audience ever hears it. That could be the ‘aha’ moment that a kid needs to think, ‘Wow, that’s really cool.’ ”
Wallace is a surgeon by day and thankful to his family and co-workers who juggle schedules so he can rehearse and perform during the busy holiday season. “Doctors and lawyers sing alongside music teachers and professional singers,” Wallace said of the group. “It’s a diverse group of people who sacrifice a lot to perform.”
For Jarrett, “The music doesn’t change, but we do. Every year is different because of loss, new life, any number of things. It’s an extraordinary gift to reset one’s life by the annual performance of the ‘Messiah.’”
Find more about the Charlotte Symphony and the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte, including upcoming performances, at each group’s website: www.charlottesymphony.org/ and www.oratoriosingers.org/.
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