Handel’s Messiah: Orchestra London

by Brian Hay

Orchestra London’s performance of Handel’s Messiah for their 2009-2010 season was an invigorating one. The tempos (Conductor) Timothy Vernon assigned to most of the numbers were very fast. The solemn segment of the short Symphony that opens the work was played with a sharp emphasis at the close of each phrase. The moderate Allegro (relaxed but brisk walking pace) that follows was also taken at an accelerated pace. The first aria, ‘Every Valley Shall Be Exalted’, was sung at a blistering tempo. It was a sign of things to come. And it worked well.

This interpretation of tempo markings is probably closer to what Handel had in mind than most of what’s presented nowadays. This performance may have shown the reason for that. The grave beginning of the piece lost none of the solemn weight it carries. The impact conveyed by the moderate allegro was one of severity. ‘Every Valley’ rang with a sort of fire it seldom has. The small forces (thirty nine choir singers and probably a slightly smaller number of orchestral players) were ideally suited to the pace set by Vernon. The work gained a sense of lightness it seldom has but lost none of its weight in the process.

It provided a challenge for the singers. The extended passages in most of the songs don’t give them much of a chance to breathe. Speeding them up makes it even more difficult. They were up to the challenge though. Tenor John Tessier navigated the treacherous byroads of ‘Every Valley’ and the remainder of pieces he sang with disarming ease. His voice was strong but his tones were gentle. Mezzo-Soprano Sophie Louise Roland made her part of ‘O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion’ sound pretty easy. Her voice was full and very powerful. Baritone Todd Wieczorek seemed to glide through the extended segments of ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’. His tones were silky and without the gravel bass singers often have. Soprano Sherry Steele had a voice that was light but deceptively powerful. She sang ‘Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion’ as if she was beaming with joy. She seemed to struggle a bit with the close of the number but that was about two seconds out of three and a half wonderful minutes. It was no big deal.

The Orchestra London Chamber Choir was fabulous. Chorus Master Mark Payne does fabulous work with them. Their timing is impeccable. Their diction as a group is phenomenal. Their control of their voices was stellar. Their voices stayed together through all the modulations in volume. The (choral) arrangements in ‘Messiah’ weave many glorious tapestries, which they showed to their fullest advantage. ‘Glory to God’ Rang out magnificently. ‘Behold the Lamb’ and ‘All We Like Sheep’ were sublime. Their ‘Amen’ at the close of ‘Worthy is the Lamb’ could have been coming from Angels.

Thank You Timothy Vernon …

Timothy Vernon took some measures that made a big difference in the presentation. The accelerated tempos were only one. He also streamlined some dead wood out of the piece. The Alto aria ‘He Was Despised’ usually goes on for thirteen or more minutes. It’s a good song but it’s over in seven minutes. The rest just goes on (and on) so the audience can memorize it. Speeding up the tempo and eliminating a few “repeats" cut it down to size. Sophie Louise Roland’s tonal shadings brought different meanings to each repetition and the result was fabulous. They captured the drama and raw emotion of the number. This was the best rendition of this song that I’ve heard.

His tempo and a few cuts also gave more impact to ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’. This is a dynamic piece of music and the part for trumpet is a great one. Shawn Spicer delivered an excellent rendition of it. Unfortunately its nine-minute length usually makes it seem as if the trumpet will be sounding forever. Their delivery and cutting the piece by about a third made me want more instead of less. Vernon did the same thing with many of the arias. His cuts kept the substance but expelled the baggage.

He also let the melody and choral arrangement of ‘For Unto Us a Child is Born’ speak for itself. It’s common to add timpani to the crescendos and the song doesn’t need it. There’s plenty of fabric within the structure of the arrangement to allow the singers and orchestra to crest this celestial wave and ride it to its radiant conclusion. Vernon let the ensemble do that.

This was great. It had all the joy and pathos found in the work and it didn’t have the baggage. Loved it.

This performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ was played at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday December 16, 2009

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