Category: Arts

Speaking of religious music, I have a confession to make.

Even though I had never heard the piece in its entirety before, I was not particularly looking forward to seeing Handel’s Messiah. I have never considered myself to be baroque music’s biggest fan, and committing to seeing such a large work by a composer who isn’t my favorite seemed to be a daunting task. But because of my job here, and the sense of duty I feel as a composer to experience as much live music as I can, I decided to swallow my preconceptions about Handel and head for Hill Auditorium.

Between the large chorus, orchestra, harpsichordist, organist, 4 vocal soloists, and the conductor, there must have been at least 200 people crowded on the poinsettia-lined stage, waiting for the performance to begin. As I watched the rest of Hill Auditorium slowly become just as packed with veteran audience members, who chatted around me excitedly in anticipation, I braced myself for the worst.

I have never felt more pleasantly surprised about a piece of music in my life. From the strings’ opening, sighing e minor chord to the final, powerful blast of a D major chord that ends the massive work over two hours later, I felt engaged throughout all 53 movements of the piece. It helped me because each movement, a setting of 1-3 Bible verses that fit into the narrative structure of Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection, varied in length, character, and by who sang each movement. Like a dialogue, the singing switched from soloist, to chorus, to orchestra, and every combination in between.

The four soloists were absolutely sparkling. They each had a beautiful and unique color, but they also blended together surprisingly well. Soprano Janai Brugger had a crystal clear tone that floated silkily above the other voices, and her high register, piano notes were breathtaking. The alto soloist, Meg Bragle, exuded her rich, velvety tone color throughout her several demanding solos. I was amazed by how seemingly effortlessly tenor Michele Angelini soared above the orchestra, and equally overwhelmed by bass Shenyang’s potent but tasteful resonant timbre. The chorus, although quite large, was so unified that it often sounded like one powerful voice.

I appreciated the detailed program notes that accompanied this performance, because they made it very easy to follow along with the story of the piece. But the singers had such marvelous English diction that it was not really necessary to rely on program notes for understanding, for which I was grateful.

I pitied those who left after the famous Hallelujah chorus (which, I learned, does not come at the very end of the piece, but the end of Part II), because Part III contained some of the most beautiful melodies I had ever heard. The ending of the entire work is even more powerful than the Hallelujah chorus. Organist Scott VanOrnum switched from his smaller, baroque organ to the large Hill Auditorium instrument for the final movement, and the powerful sound created by this instrument in combination with the others was absolutely breathtaking.

Overall, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, UMS Choral Union, and some extremely talented soloists successfully showed me why seeing Handel’s Messiah is an annual tradition for many in Ann Arbor and around the world.

This weekend, one of the great musical traditions of Ann Arbor continues as UMS, along with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union, presents two performances of Handel’s Messiah. This epic, 275-year-old English oratorio received its Ann Arbor premiere in the 1879-80 season, and has since been welcomed every year as a celebrated holiday tradition. 

This particular oratorio by Handel is in three parts, and it uses Biblical text to tell the story of Jesus Christ, who is the Messiah, from the prophecies predicting his birth through his death and glorious resurrection. Maestro Scott Hanoian will conduct a Baroque orchestra and chorus that features soloists Joseph Gascho on harpsichord as well as vocal soloists Janai Brugger, Meg Bragle, Michele Angelini, and Shenyang, 

 Ending the large-scale, dramatic masterwork is the unmistakeable, triumphant Hallelujah Chorus. These performances offer the opportunity for listeners to hear the entire work from which that famous movement originated. 

You won’t want to miss this time-honored holiday tradition of epic proportion!

Performances are Saturday, December 3rd at 8pm and Sunday, December 4th at 1pm in Hill Auditorium.

Tickets are available for purchase online or at The League Ticket Office.

This concert was a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening. I enjoyed the range of songs the two choirs chose. The guest choir, a barbershop a cappella group named Voices in Harmony, mostly performed very percussive songs with plenty of the rich lower notes, while the Women’s Glee Club performed more serene songs with higher melodies and not as much of the alto section. This difference added a good variety to the concert. I only wish the theme, Journey On, had fit the subjects of the songs better.

I was, as always, impressed with the entrance of the Women’s Glee Club. They always file onto the risers, stand in straight lines, and then shift as one so that they are arrayed in window formation. I think my favorite song was “Down to the River to Pray,” because at the beginning most of the women were lined along either side of the main floor, so when they started singing it gave the sound a very universal quality and filled the space beautifully. The solos (in “Down to the River to Pray” and “Kyrie”) were all really well done. Midnight Blue, the Women’s Glee Club a cappella group, also performed three numbers. I like that in the songs Midnight Blue performs most everybody gets a solo, which allows a listener to distinguish the different voice timbres that make up the group.

Voices in Harmony was fantastic. I loved the sparkly black tops they all wore, and their enthusiasm was contagious. They began singing while one of their members was introducing them, which I thought was a very nice touch. There was plenty of choreography, making the songs really dynamic, and even when there wasn’t the women were all moving to the beat. My favorite song was “Bottom of the River”: they produced a beautiful beat by slapping the floor, clinking chains, and clapping their hands in something that reminded me of the hand jive from Grease, and they moved around throughout the song. The low notes in that piece, as well as all the others, really stood out to me, and added gravity to the performance.

These two groups each presented a unified front, enhancing the listeners’ experience. They both choreographed their songs, and they blended very well, using the same articulations (for example, in “Jubilate Deo,” sung by the Women’s Glee Club, they had beautiful staccato notes). When they joined to sing “You’re My Best Friend,” the two groups interspersed themselves among each other: I had been expecting them to stand in blocks, and the fact that they didn’t was refreshing and added meaning to the song as well. It was a wonderful performance, and I’m very glad I was able to go.