{"id":7001,"date":"2012-03-24T02:09:33","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T15:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/soundslikesydney.com.au\/?p=7001"},"modified":"2012-03-24T02:09:33","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T15:09:33","slug":"messiah-at-st-james-king-street-a-listeners-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soundslikesydney.com.au\/?p=7001","title":{"rendered":"‘Messiah’ at St James’ King Street: a listener’s perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Whatever the diet of\u00a0musicians\u00a0in Handel’s time,\u00a0his\u00a0performers\u00a0must certainly have had tremendous stamina. ‘Messiah’ as Handel intended, for a chamber sized ensemble is a massive test of\u00a0endurance, requiring a technique\u00a0that supports the power\u00a0of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, the coloratura of ‘All we like sheep’ and the hushed sostenuto of\u00a0‘Since by man came death’.\u00a0After all this comes the\u00a0mighty ‘Amen’. When the choristers themselves\u00a0sing all the solos as well, the performance takes on a serious level of self belief that it can deliver the whole package without calling on specialist soloists.<\/p>\n

The Choir and Orchestra of St James’ King Street under the direction of Warren Trevelyan-Jones, with the orchestra led by Brendan Joyce, delivered this chamber version\u00a0of ‘Messiah’ with aplomb and\u00a0unquestioned musicianship\u00a0to a delighted audience.<\/p>\n

In some ways, the popularity of ‘Messiah’ has been a double edged sword. So many people want to sing it and massed choir productions are\u00a0so\u00a0lucrative for choral organisations, that the original intent of the work can become obscured. Therefore, to hear this oratorio, performed by just 19 singers in a church,\u00a0sans<\/em> the more showy elements\u00a0of concert productions, pared\u00a0the work back to its origins. The choir and its director anchor the liturgical activities of the church and there is therefore a strong connection with sacred repertoire.\u00a0Regardless of\u00a0their individual beliefs, collectively,\u00a0they delivered Charles Jennens’ text with\u00a0understanding and conviction.<\/p>\n

Hearing\u00a0different choristers from each voice part perform the solos provided variety. It\u00a0was akin to getting to know them better and to appreciate their voices,\u00a0usually heard in ensemble.<\/p>\n

‘The St James’ presentation of ‘Messiah’ with its message of birth, death and resurrection,\u00a0has been especially poignant with the memorial service for Margaret Whitlam AO being held at the church this week. The\u00a0choir, in between its two performances of ‘Messiah’ sang at the service,\u00a0leading the\u00a0congregational singing and performing\u00a0Taverner’s Like As a Hart<\/em>,\u00a0\u00a0Wie lieblich<\/em> sind deine Wohnungen (<\/em>How lovely is thy dwelling place)\u00a0from\u00a0<\/strong>Brahms Requiem and\u00a0Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus. <\/em>No doubt their presence and gentle sound facilitated the\u00a0grieving, the contemplation and the celebration of a great life, not just for those present in the church, but for the vast\u00a0television audience as well.<\/p>\n

There are two\u00a0observations that come to mind\u00a0in reflecting on\u00a0this presentation of ‘Messiah’.\u00a0Firstly, that it has a sense of\u00a0intimacy\u00a0and simplicity. Secondly,\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0music is paramount.<\/p>\n

Shamistha de Soysa for Sounds Like Sydney<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Choir and Orchestra of St James King Street directed by Warren Trevelyan-Jones, present the final performance of Handel’s Messiah <\/em>on Saturday 24th March at 5 pm, at St James’ Church, King Street, Sydney.<\/p>\n

Tickets available at the door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Whatever the diet of\u00a0musicians\u00a0in Handel’s time,\u00a0his\u00a0performers\u00a0must certainly have had tremendous stamina. ‘Messiah’ as Handel intended, for a chamber sized ensemble is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"sls_format":[],"class_list":["post-7001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"acf":{"deck":"","is_featured":false,"media_type":"standard","audio_embed":"","video_url":""},"yoast_head":"\n'Messiah' at St James' King Street: a listener's perspective - Sounds Like Sydney<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/soundslikesydney.com.au\/?p=7001\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Messiah' at St James' King Street: a listener's perspective - 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