---

Handel’s ‘Messiah’ works
well during Easter season

Hallelujah! Rejoice to the coming of Handel's "Messiah" in a grand springtime celebration with the Honolulu Symphony and Chorus this weekend. Although it's often performed at Christmas time, Handel's "Messiah" is as much a piece for Easter because its text draws on the stories of the Nativity, as well as the life and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Messiah Featuring the Honolulu Symphony , Honolulu Symphony Chorus, Milagro Vargas, Louise Topping, Vale Rideout and Burr Cochran Philips Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall Time: 8 p.m. Friday, and 4 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $21, $33, $43, $51 and $64 each, including service fees; 20 percent discount for seniors, students and military Call: 792-2000, or Ticketmaster at 1-877-750-4400

Led by Maestro Samuel Wong and chorus director Karen Kennedy, our Good Friday and Easter Sunday performances are sure to bring everyone closer to this divinely uplifting music.

Whether faithfully or faintly religious, audiences have come, cheered and risen to their feet for this masterpiece for more than 260 years. If reports can be trusted, King George II of England was so moved by the sounds of the "Hallelujah Chorus" that he stood up and remained standing until the end. When the king stood, the rest of the audience got up, too, and since that time almost all audiences have risen at that point in the performance. Don't be surprised if that custom is still upheld!

THE LIFE OF Christ is serious subject matter, but that doesn't mean the show can't be fun. Handel, a German native who moved to London in 1714, understood that. Within the realm of this musical performance, he honors Christ while providing an engaging spectacle.

A little-known fact is that early in his career, Handel was recognized as a supreme opera composer with more than 32 works to his credit. However, by the late 1730s, interest in the genre had declined, and he was no longer able to make money composing operas.

This turn of events was a blessing in disguise. Handel decided to direct his energies toward the oratorio, a musical drama whose text is based on Scripture. The oratorio differs from the opera because it doesn't need staging.

The oratorio was a fairly obscure art form until Handel brought it into the limelight. After a series of successful oratorios, Handel produced his greatest masterpiece, "The Messiah," in 1740.

To give credit where credit is due, the driving force behind "The Messiah" was Charles Jennens, Handel's librettist. Picture Oscar Hammerstein of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and that loosely defines what a librettist is: the person who writes the words for an opera or other musical work.

In a letter to his friend, the scholar Edward Holdsworth, Jennens described his desire for a musical anthology based on the Scriptures, with the goal that Handel "lays out his whole genius and skill upon it." The libretto for "The Messiah" was based on text from the Old and New Testaments, primarily the 1611 "Authorized Version of the English Bible." While the first two parts deal with the Nativity and Resurrection, the third turns to mankind.

Jennens anticipated a London premiere during Holy Week, the time leading up to Easter when theaters were usually closed. He hoped to convince the city to support a special performance in benefit of the composer. Handel, on the other hand, was doubtful that authorities would approve. When the Dublin authorities invited him to perform a series of oratorios, he jumped at the opportunity. On April 13, 1742, the Irish capital greeted Handel's "Messiah" with a passionate and enthusiastic response.

Predictably, Jennens wasn't pleased, but more surprisingly, neither was the London press at the 1743 English premiere. While Jennens, perhaps still hurt that his plans had gone awry, declared that he was unhappy with parts of the oratorio, reporters and editors objected that the religious subject matter was used in an entertaining fashion.

HANDEL REVISED "The Messiah" on numerous occasions, eventually mending his rift with Jennens. From 1750 onward the oratorio became an annual tradition in London, with performances at Covent Garden during Holy Week and post-Easter performances at the Chapel of the Foundling Hospital.

"The Messiah" is never performed twice the same way. The style of singers and number of musicians differ constantly, so directors have to act accordingly. Great composers have also brought their own touch to the music. Fifty-some years after its creation, Mozart adapted Handel's music to the conventions of his orchestra, which benefited from more wind instruments such as flutes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and so forth.

I believe Maestro Wong's version will be closer to the original version, with a few alterations in the selection of voices. After all, Handel used castrati, or male singers who were castrated as boys to preserve their soprano or alto range, for his performances.

Why, you ask? Simply put, women were not encouraged to pursue careers of any kind during Handel's lifetime. In his own way, Sam Wong is remedying this injustice by inviting some of the most exceptional and talented female singers to join us for our performances.

Our production of "The Messiah" comes just at the right time. Audiences of all tastes can celebrate the coming of spring and this story of spiritual renewal with Handel's exquisite music. Happy Easter and springtime to all!

---