Handel's Messiah - the best in New York.
December 12, 2018 10:09 PM   Subscribe

What the New York Times has described as the best Messiah performance in New York will be live-streaming here on Sunday Dec 16th at 3pm.
posted by storybored (19 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
And We Like Sheep Will Have To Wait...
posted by Namlit at 4:44 AM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]


The sound has not gone out...
posted by Melismata at 5:02 AM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]


Shout (later), o daughter of Jerusalem
posted by fast ein Maedchen at 5:05 AM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]


(t)his [j]oke was easy.
posted by Namlit at 5:23 AM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]


Rejoice greatly!
posted by Melismata at 5:51 AM on December 13, 2018


I'm going to this on Saturday, should anyone care to join me for hot chocolate or a drink or something afterwards.
posted by hoyland at 5:54 AM on December 13, 2018


I look forward to future live streamings of New York's best traffic jams, industrial accidents, and unanesthetized root canals.

I kid, I kid. Enjoy away, those of you who like this crazy thing.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:03 AM on December 13, 2018


The billboard advertising the best Messiah in my city has my face on it this year, and I think that is SO COOL. But I can't take a picture of it because I only see it when I'm driving on the highway.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 6:28 AM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]


Okay, sure, plenty of jokes here: All we like sheep, and they like us.

But on a tiny, snark-free note of seriousness, this is an awesome performance. The clip in the article is 58 seconds long ("And He Shall Purify"). Give it a listen. If you don't get a chill down your spine, then by all means skip it. But the Trinity performance really does do things with this old, familiar music that you might have forgotten could be done -- if you ever knew. If this is your kind of thing at all, it's absolutely worth it.
posted by The Bellman at 6:47 AM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]


The best Messiah performance is finding a sing-it-yourself pick-up choir with a decent orchestra and a few good amateur/semi-pro soloists (and letting parts of the choir sing some of the easier solos in unison). Chapel Hill, NC had a fantastic one for many years.

And "gender swapping" some of the solos is often a good variation, but also pretty common. I'm surprised anyone was scandalized by it. (I don't even know whether "Who may Abide" is supposed to be Alto or Bass, I've heard it both ways so often.)
posted by straight at 7:42 AM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]


In Seattle, the sing along is done by the UU Church, I've been and it's quite fantastic.
posted by foxfirefey at 8:41 AM on December 13, 2018


Ooh I hoped this was Trinity! I saw them sing Handel's Theodora here in London in 2014. They were absolutely superb. Such a moving performance. I'll always remember how at the end the last notes died away and the conductor held the silence for the longest time, 2000 people in the audience and you could have heard a pin drop. Then finally he lowered his baton and there was this rapturous applause and my husband and I were hugging each other in tears! So beautiful, never to be forgotten.
posted by prune at 10:58 AM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


Shameless self-promotion: I sing with The Oratorio Society of New York, also mentioned in the article. Come see me! I have extra tickets!
posted by holborne at 12:49 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]


(I don't even know whether "Who may Abide" is supposed to be Alto or Bass, I've heard it both ways so often.)

Usually alto, but the performance I remember the best was a countertenor.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:04 PM on December 13, 2018


I have been to 2 Messiah sings this month. The 1st was titled Barroom Messiah, was at a(nice jazz) bar, with professional musicians and soloists. Being able to drink beer in between singing was nice and I met another soprano who was good company. The 2nd is one that has been done for 30+ years, professional musicians & conductor, group solos. I love Christmas choir singing and enjoyed both. Nice post, thanks, will listen if I am near radio.
posted by theora55 at 4:44 PM on December 13, 2018


I had the privilege of singing in the chorus of a production of Messiah under Mr. Wachner's direction five years ago. This was in the midst of a multi-year run of my performing the oratorio with the same choir/orchestra, but under the baton of a different conductor each year. Wachner's interpretation in 2013 is close to what he's doing this year (as far as I can tell).
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 11:32 PM on December 13, 2018


Forgot to mention the innumerable Messiah/Handel puns my fellow singers and I enjoyed, the best of which is "Curried Is The Lamb".
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 11:37 PM on December 13, 2018


“His joke is sleazy”
posted by holborne at 8:35 AM on December 14, 2018


I, no shit, still have a paper program from my undergrad years which lists one of the choruses as "Surely He hath borne our briefs."
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:36 PM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


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