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I noticed in the program notes to the sold-out performance of Messiah last night that the first performance by the MSO of this much loved Handel oratorio was given 100 years ago in 1909.
The first performance ever of the Messiah (after a public rehearsal a few days before) was given in 1742 on Tuesday April 13 – Easter - at the New Musick Hall, Fishamble Street, Dublin in Ireland. Handel already...
AMONG several performances of Handel's timeless oratorio at this time of year, those offered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus hold a good deal of attractiveness, largely due to the participants' musical expertise and the administration's financial edge in attracting an impressive line-up of guest conductors and soloists.
To direct last weekend's brace of readings - Sunday night's...
Pawel Lukaszewski's Via Crucis presents us with a rare occurrence in the world of modern music: a prayerful, deliberately religious new work of Catholic music, infused with meaning and many layers of symbolism. Having witnessed a skilled live performance of the work, this review will concentrate on not only the recent Polyphony recording, but also on live-performance viability of the piece. ...
Julefryd med Stephen Layton
Julen er traditionernes fest, og en af dem er at lægge øre til Händels oratorium "Messias", som opføres over hele landet i mere eller mindre professionelle aftapninger i december måned. Der er også mange udgaver på cd , og en virkelig fremragende er netop udkommet på det fine engelske pladeselskab Hyperion .Det er DR VokalEnsemblets 1. gæstedirigent, Stephen Layton,...
When British conductor Stephen Layton directs Handel's Messiah he goes for a close-knit ensemble, neat, light, bright. No lumbering along with cumbersome forces. Vocal soloists fit into the texture of the balanced whole. This enduring oratorio has come in al lstyles and sizes since its premiere performance before an ecstatic Dublin audience in 1742.
Layton himself has conducted a variety of them...
Polyphony’s cultured, humane performances of Handel’s masterpiece have long been a pre-Christmas fixture at St John’s, Smith Square, in London, and this set, recorded there in December last year, testifies to the blend of brilliance and warmth that the choir and the versatile Britten Sinfonia (here adopting “historically aware” style) bring to the music. Four excellent soloists enhance the...