{"id":65602,"date":"2019-12-19T10:30:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T15:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=65602"},"modified":"2019-12-19T10:30:30","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T15:30:30","slug":"scrutiny-toronto-symphony-orchestras-mozartian-messiah-unique-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2019\/12\/19\/scrutiny-toronto-symphony-orchestras-mozartian-messiah-unique-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Toronto Symphony Orchestra\u2019s Mozartian Messiah Is A Unique Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

The TSO\u2019s Mozartian version of Handel\u2019s classic Messiah is enjoyable, bolstered by top-class Canadian soloists, and the always impressive Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Toronto
Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs ‘Messiah’ (Photo : Jag Gundu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jane Archibald, sop.; Emily D\u2019Angelo, mezzo; Isaiah Bell, ten.; Russell Braun, bar.; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, David Fallis, Conductor; Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Alexander Shelley, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, Dec. 17, 2019.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

December is \u201cMessiah<\/em> Month\u201d in Canada\u2019s largest city. If you are a classical music fan, you\u2019re likely to encounter numerous offerings, in venues big and small, from intimate Baroque ensembles to a full orchestra playing on modern instruments. Whatever your taste \u2014 from traditional to experimental \u2014 you\u2019re likely to find one you like.<\/p>\n

As someone who grew up with this piece, December is not complete without attending several performances, although in recent years, I\u2019ve gotten away from my Messiah<\/em>-bingeing tendencies and limit myself to one. Given my preference for Messiah with large orchestra and a full sound, the Cecil B. DeMille style if you will, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra fits the bill.<\/p>\n

That said, in recent seasons, the TSO Messiah<\/em> has undergone a downsizing, not in quality to be sure, but in numbers. For example, last year\u2019s version conducted by Johannes Debus had only about 30 or so in the orchestra. Last evening, I counted about 40 and a bit, much more intimate than in the past. The choral forces remain substantial, with the celebrated Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.<\/p>\n

This year, the TSO Messiah<\/em> is unusual that it\u2019s a version arranged by Mozart. In the excellent essay found in the program by Margot Rejskind, she outlines the genesis of this Mozartian Messiah<\/em>. Composed by Handel the Londoner in 1742, it wasn\u2019t performed in Germany until 30 years later, and then only occasionally.<\/p>\n

\"Soloists
Soloists, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in ‘Messiah’ (Photo : Jag Gundu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It remained in obscurity until one Viennese nobleman Baron Gottfired van Swieten took it upon himself to popularize it in German-speaking countries by commissioning a German translation and a new arrangement by Mozart in 1789. The TSO performance was sung in its original English text, with some modifications.<\/p>\n

Rejskind points out in her essay that some of the modifications were made by van Swieten: \u201cVan Swieten\u2019s libretto cuts the chorus \u201cLet all the angels of God\u201d, the aria \u201cThou art gone up high\u201d, the B-section of \u201cThe trumpet shall sound\u201d, and turns the aria \u201cIf God be for us\u201d into a recitative.\u201d Another interesting change involves the famous \u201cFor unto us a Child is born.\u201d The beautiful choral number opens with the quartet of soloists before the chorus enters upon the word \u201cWonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was the addition of woodwinds in place of the organ continuo, and the use of trombones replacing the trumpets. Well, this means \u201cThe Trumpet shall sound\u201d is now trumpet-less! It\u2019s been re-assigned to horns and trombones. To be honest, it takes some getting used to. I for one missed the trumpets \u2014 especially when their thrilling sounds come from various locations in the balconies.<\/p>\n

While one could quibble with the musical structure of the Mozartian version, it remains enjoyable, to be sure. Alexander Shelley made an auspicious TSO debut, leading the orchestra in a very crisp reading of the score. He\u2019s a fine conductor, and let\u2019s hope he\u2019ll be back. His fast tempo, together with the cuts in this version, means that the performance only lasted two and a half hours including intermission.<\/p>\n

\"Soloists
Soloists Emily D’Angelo and Jane Archibald (l-r) perform ‘The Messiah’ with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Photo : Jag Gundu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The soloists were top-class Canadian singers, and they did not disappoint. The crystalline tones of Jane Archibald\u2019s high soprano sounded lovely. As is typical for high voices, the text didn\u2019t come through all the time. Emily D\u2019Angelo\u2019s gleaming mezzo was a pleasure, although I think the tessitura of her music was a bit low for her, as she occasionally pushed her chest register, like in the opening recitative, and in \u201cHe was despised.\u201d She was at her best in the higher reaches of \u201cThy rebuke hath broken His heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tenor Isaiah Bell sang with smooth, plangent tone in \u201cComfort ye\u201d and \u201cEv\u2019ry valley,\u201d the long phrases dispatched with plenty of breath. His voice, with its well controlled vibrato, is ideal in oratorio. Baritone Russell Braun, the veteran among them with a 30-year career, sang with still impressive tone, and there\u2019s a sense of foreboding to his tone that\u2019s so special in this work. And, one can count on the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir to deliver each and every time. It was at its best in \u201cSurely, He hath borne our griefs,\u201d offering up thrilling tone and impressive power.<\/p>\n

Many Messiah<\/em> fans, yours truly included, enjoy the many interesting variations given by the TSO over the years \u2014 who can forget Sir Andrew\u2019s antics in \u201cAll we like sheep?\u201d Will this Mozartian Messiah become a favourite? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n

Performances on Dec. 20, 21 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 22 at 3 p.m. Details<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/h3>\n

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