Maestro's Musings

Here’s a little Messiah trivia to get you excited…

Did you know that the first performance of Messiah was presented in Dublin Ireland on April 13, 1742, as a benefit for people in a debtors’ prison? It raised enough money to free 142 men from the jail. The Kingston Symphony and the Kingston Choral Society are teaming up to perform this famous oratorio on December 5 – but don’t worry, we won’t be freeing anyone from the Kingston Penitentiary.

Handel was almost going to land in debtors’ prison himself right up until the Messiah premiered. He shouldered a lot of negative comments on the work, as people were upset that sacred texts were being put to secular music. But the Messiah eventually triumphed, as did Handel, and he never once accepted any money for any performance of the work.

When the version we’re familiar with today premiered in 1754, the money garnered went to benefit and orphanage, The Foundling Hospital, in London.

I always get excited about the Messiah. Its one of those works that never gets old, especially around this time of year. I think it’s because there’s just so much in this work. It’s unbelievable to me that it took Handel only 24 days to complete the Messiah – what a phenomenal task!

One of the things that always stands out to me is the “word painting” aspect of this oratorio. Word painting is said to enhance the text based on its musical treatment. In the tenor aria “Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted” a single syllable of the word “exalted” is written with forty-six ascending notes. That’s a lot of notes!
For our performance of the Messiah, we’ll have with us guest soloists Tracy Smith Bessette, Marion Newman, James McLean, and Kingston native Geoffrey Sirett. Both Tracy and Marion have sung with us before.

Tracy has performed with the Opéra National de Paris, and has sung in the Messiah all over the world – including performances in France and Spain. We’re lucky to have her here in Kingston.

This will be Marion’s second time performing with us. She’s a vivacious scene-stealer whose distinct voice will captivate you. What’s amazing about Marion is that she started her performance career not as a vocalist, but as a pianist. At the age of 16 she performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 in A Major with the Victoria Symphony. She has been featured on CBC radio several times, and is the recipient of a Career Development Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. She is a high-calibre performer who lifts the Canadian classical music scene to the next level.

When the Messiah premiered more than 250 years ago, there was so much excitement surrounding it that organizers feared the concert hall would be over capacity. Men were asked to leave their “dress swords” at home and women were asked to not wear hoop skirts.

You can wear whatever you like to our concert on December 5 (well, maybe leave your sword at home). And just like the concert halls were in the 1700s, the Kingston Gospel Temple will be general admission for this performance. Get in the spirit of the season! Buy your tickets soon before they sell out!

Don't forget to check out my latest YouTube video interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLf7MsndjA

Thanks for reading.