MESSIAH
The first excerpts of Messiah were heard in America on Christmas Eve 1815 at the first concert of the newly formed Handel & Haydn Society of Boston. Three years later, the society presented the American premiere of the complete oratorio, and by 1854 it had begun performing the work as an annual Christmas tradition–one that quickly spread throughout North America and has continued to this day.
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For better or worse, period-instrument performances are increasingly the standard by which other performances are measured, and the range has been extended to Beethoven and even more recent composers. Although several key figures actually helped to bring this about, Hogwood’s hundreds of best-selling recordings are what largely introduced the movement to the average record-buyer. The movement was enhanced by the academy’s frequent tours, by Hogwood’s extensive guest conducting, and by his unique ability to discuss the movement unpedantically, even entertainingly.
Even though there are still many awkward moments of poor string and wind intonation, the group has become a deeply expressive instrument for Banks. Always firmly in control, she never ceases to amaze with the quality and quantity of her musical ideas. Although sometimes the ideas themselves may be out of context, she is not afraid to try new things, and to take chances in performance. If she stumbles now and then, it is still far better to try something new than to stagnate in the interest of accuracy. As she becomes a more experienced conductor, hopefully she will discover that accuracy and balance need not be sacrificed to expression.
That celebrated countertenor Jeffrey Gall took the alto role was something of a curiosity, since Handel usually employed a female alto for Messiah. But then Handel also used all male sopranos and altos for the chorus, which was not practical for either Banks or Hogwood. Gall’s technique is indeed impressive, and for those who last heard him struggling to keep up with Marilyn Horne and June Anderson in Lyric’s bizarre production of Handel’s Orlando a few seasons ago, it was a revelation. Still, for all of Gall’s obvious dedication and artistry, I found the sheer timbre of his voice very rough around the edges–he lacks the smoothness of a Steven Rickards, for instance. Gall’s voice sometimes sounds squeaky or even like a dog’s bark when he is shifting register. Still, his rendition of “He was despised” was a particular highlight of this performance, mixing great power and subtlety. Gall sounded as if he had tears in his voice, and the color, being so soft, was very beautiful. It was only when he sang loudly that problems arose.
The H & H Chorus was much scaled down, to 34 singers, and all the proportions were exactly the same as in Handel’s Foundling Hospital performance of 1754–this is the kind of exacting detail Hogwood is famous for, Here choral texture was one, and all sections were strong, each striving for the same vocal sound.
