Greetings,
Friday night Brenda, Timothy and I attended the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Concert Artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale, conducted by Edward Polochick. While I have many very good recorded versions of Messiah, including my favorites, the original orchestra size performance by Colin Davis and the large scale bombastic performance by Sir Thomas Beecham, both of which are outstanding and which I truly love, there is nothing quite like a live performance of music. It has been several years since I was able to hear Messiah live, so it was especially enjoyable to be part of the full house for a wonderful performance.
Handel, of course, is well known for his operas and his oratorios on Biblical themes such as Israel in Egypt, Jephtha, Samson, and Saul. His friend Charles Jennens provided him with Biblical texts for several of his works, and for Messiah. Unlike the other oratorios which focused on historical events or a biographical narrative of an individual, Messiah is a statement of the prophecies and reality of the nature of the Messiah and how he brings about the redemption of humanity and all of creation.
The Messiah is very much like the season of Advent in that it proclaims the whole of the Christian faith with its’ essential emphasis on the Christ of Glory. It moves from the prophecies of the Messiah to the Incarnation, then the sinfulness of humanity which necessitates the suffering and death of Jesus to the Resurrection and our personal relationship with Jesus the Christ to the coming of the Glorious Christ in Victory. We are living Advent: celebrating the Incarnation – the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem; rejoicing in the coming of Jesus into our hearts; eagerly anticipating the coming of the Day of the Lord, when all acknowledge the Sovereignty of Jesus the Eternal Christ and we, who are the members of His Body, are raised by the power of His Resurrection to His Glory forever.
The power and miraculous nature of Messiah are not based on the various legends about its creation. Yes, Handel did compose it in 24 days, and extremely fast rate, but then he was known for his rapid composition. Yes, tradition says that when Handel composed the Hallelujah chorus “he saw all heaven before him.” No, those are not the things which make Messiah so special. It is special because even while composing was a business for Handel, and he needed every success he could get, Handel loved God, and sought to be obedient to God in the use of the gift God had given him. What is not legend, but fact is that Handel at the end of his manuscript wrote the letters "SDG"—Soli Deo Gloria, “To God alone the glory.” It is also fact that Jennens, who picked and organized the scripture texts, was a devout Christian and beliver in scriptural authority, and that he wrote to challenge those, like the Diests, who would reject the doctine of Divine Intervention in human affairs. Together they brought forth a work filled with faith and belief in the love and power, and saving grace of the Triune God, inspired by God and written to proclaim the glory of God to all.
The custom of standing for the Hallelujah chorus is shrouded in time. Perhaps it was the Prince of Wales at the historic London performance in 1749 who first stood up for the chorus. Certainly, by 1780 when the Prince, then George III, stood, everyone was standing for the chorus. About ten years ago someone at the Baltimore Symphony decided to join the modern movement, presumably more sophisicated, of not standing for the chorus, and in the printed program, they advised the audience that standing was inappropriate (read, politically incorrect). Of course, the audience knew otherwise and audiences at the Meyerhoff continue to resolutely stand. (They gave up printing such an advisement.)
Friday night the performance was very well done. It was the small orchestra version and was concucted by Polochick from the harpsicord. The soloists were very good, clear and spirited. The chorus was wonderful, precise and expressive and powerful as needed. The orchestra was cohesive and dynamic, with the various solo parts, especially the trumpet in “The trumpet shall sound,” doing an outstanding job. And, with all modesity, I must admit that I contributed greatly to the success of the performance by not making any sound whatsoever. The audience was extremely pleased and responsive, with applause and cheers, and some of the loudest were when Polochick held up Handel’s score of Messiah.
Of course, for the Christian Messiah is never measured just by the quality of the performance. It is the message of the scriptures, the inspiration of God in the writing and the powerful presence of the Spirit when ever the Word is sent forth and the Good News proclaimed that stirs the heart, brings tears of joy to the eyes, and a revival of faith and hope and love for the living of each day.
Yours & His,
DED
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