Transcending Tunes of Light and Shade Handel: Messiah

by Frances Wilson, Interlude

During the opening measures of the famous chorus, members of the audience glanced around anxiously, checking to see who would be first to rise to their feet. Then someone in the balcony stood, and someone else, and suddenly the whole audience rose to its feet, as is traditional for the ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus.

George Frideric Handel © portlandhandelsociety.org

The reasons for this tradition are somewhat apocryphal: one version is that at the first London performance in 1743, the audience “together with the King”, were so moved by the ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus that they spontaneously rose to their feet. An alternative explanation is that King George II was so tone-deaf that he thought the performance had finished, and the orchestra was playing the National Anthem: once the King stood, everyone present was obliged to stand too. Whatever the reason, there is something really special about standing for such an uplifting and triumphant piece of music.

For me ‘Messiah’ will forever be associated with the beginning of the Christmas season. When I was at school, it formed an integral part of the concert which ended the Autumn term, along with the service of nine lessons and carols at the church next door to my school. I must have sung Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at least 10 times, for the tradition of performing it at Christmas continued when I joined my university choir.

Background

‘Messiah’ was composed in 1741, with a text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the version of the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. Initially it received a modest public reception, despite Handel’s established reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, but gradually the oratorio gained in popularity and it is now one of the best-known, much-loved and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. 

The Story

The work is organised in three sections: Part 1 tells the story of the birth of Christ and includes all the familiar elements of the Christmas story. Part 2 is concerned with Christ’s passion and death, his resurrection and ascension, and ends with the joyous ‘Hallelujah’ chorus. It is this aspect of the work which makes it just as applicable for performance at Easter as well as at Christmas (in fact, its premiere in Dublin took place 19 days after Easter 1742). Part 3 returns to the theme of resurrection and represents the real core of the work as Christ’s resurrection is connected to our own redemption and sense of hope, beautifully affirmed in one of the work’s most famous arias, ‘I Know that My Redeemer Liveth’. And I suppose the best thing about ‘Messiah’ really is all the memorable ‘tunes’ – from ‘Ev’ry Valley Shall be Exalted’ to ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’, ‘I Know My Redeemer Liveth’ to the charming duet between tenor and alto ‘O Death Where is Thy Sting’. Then there are the choruses: ‘And the Glory of the Lord’, ‘All We Like Sheep’, ‘For Unto Us a Child is Born, ‘Hallelujah’, and the wonderful fugue of the final chorus. In between all this are some beautiful solos, recitatives, which serve to move the narrative forward, and delightful orchestral interludes.

Handel brings the text to life with light and shade, storms and sunshine, fugue and counterpoint, and a huge variety of textures and “word painting”, the technique of having the melody mimic the literal meaning of the libretto. Because of the skilful way in which Handel organises the material, and the universal, redemptive message of the text, Messiah remains a work which is uplifting and life-affirming, regardless of how it is performed.

Gheorghe Zamfir - The Lonely Shepherd

James Last With Gheorghe Zamfir - The lonely shepherd/Alouette. Live in London 1978 The Lonely Shepherd, James Last, concert, orchestra, video, Georghe Zampfir, Zamfir, Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack,

John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air (Strictly Ballroom Music Video)

Lyrics: Love is in the air Everywhere I look around Love is in the air Every sight and every sound And I don't know if I'm being foolish Don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes Love is in the air In the whisper of the trees Love is in the air In the thunder of the sea And I don't know if I'm just dreaming Don't know if I feel sane But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when you call out my name Love is in the air Love is in the air Oh oh oh Oh oh oh Love is in the air In the rising of the sun Love is in the air When the day is nearly done And I don't know if you're an illusion Don't know if I see it true But you're something that I must believe in And you're there when I reach out for you Love is in the air Every sight and every sound And I don't know if I'm being foolish Don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes Love is in the air Love is in the air Oh oh oh Oh oh oh

MARINA ( FOX ) - Cover Noemi Gigante Fisarmonica

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Schumann: Klavierkonzert ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Khatia Buniatishvili ∙...

10,844,092 views Sep 6, 2012

Robert Schumann: Klavierkonzert ∙ (Auftritt) 00:00 ∙ I. Allegro affettuoso 00:30 ∙ II. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso 15:44 ∙ III. Allegro vivace 20:31 ∙ Khatia Buniatishvili, Klavier ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙ Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙ Rheingau Musik Festival 2012 ∙ Wiesbaden, Kurhaus, 23. August 2012 ∙

1:08 / 39:50

Luigi Cherubini: "Requiem in do minore"

Ravenna Festival Le vie dell'amicizia greek subtitles Orchestra Giovanile "Luigi Cherubini" Orchestra Giovanile Italiana four choirs conductor: Riccardo Muti President of the Republic of Slovenia: Dr Danilo Türk President of the Republic of Croatia: Dr Ivo Josipović President of the Italian Republic: Giorgio Napolitano Piazza Unità d'Italia Trieste 2010

What ‘Miss Saigon’ songs are on your playlist?

Sun and Moon is a duet between Chris and Kim, which reveals the stark contrast between the star-crossed lovers, race- and social status-wise, but love wins. Photo courtesy of GMG Productions

Jerry Donato - The Philippine Star 

MANILA, Philippines — Aside from the universal themes embedded in the narrative and recognizable characters, musicals are a hit because of their well-crafted songs. They give the audience a sneak peek at characters’ aspirations, intentions, and personalities — and can be seen as devices that make the storytelling unfold and move.

These songs leave a lasting impression on the audience and make them experience Last Song Syndrome (LSS). They usually become part of their everyday playlists.

An example of such a list may comprise the following tunes from musicals: Bring Him Home (by Jean Valjean), I Dreamed a Dream (Fantine), and On My Own (Eponine) from “Les Misérables;” Memory (Grizabella) from “Cats;” I Know Him So Well (Florence and Svetlana) from “Chess;” Don’t Cry for Me Argentina (Eva Peron) from “Evita;” Maria (Tony), Tonight (Tony and Maria) and Somewhere from “West Side Story;” What I Did For Love (Diana and the company) from “A Chorus Line;” Loving You (Fosca) from “Passion;” and Only He-Only You (Pearl and Rusty) and Starlight Express (Rusty) from “Starlight Express.”

Songs, definitely, from “Miss Saigon,” which is now playing at The Theatre at Solaire until May 12, will make it to the list.

Its latest Manila edition features Abigail Adriano and Nigel Huckle as the Vietnamese young woman Kim and the American G.I. Chris, respectively, with Seann Miley Moore as the French-Vietnamese bar owner The Engineer and Laurence Mossman as Kim’s cousin Thuy.

Kiara Dario, Lewis Francis, and Sarah Morrison take on the roles of bar girl Gigi, Chris’ best friend John, and Chris’ wife Ellen.

If one is an avid follower of the Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, and Cameron Mackintosh musical, one knows each musical number from Act 1 to Act 2 — and from Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City to Atlanta-Bangkok by heart.

Yes, we love them all, but what could a Top 6 list of “Miss Saigon” songs look like to someone who is enamored by the thoughts of “love knows no bounds,” selfless love, and living a new life.

First on the list is Sun and Moon, a duet between Chris and Kim. The lyrics reveal the stark contrast between star-crossed lovers in terms of cultural background, race, and social status, but love wins. It comes in unexpected places and situations, like being amidst of war.

Kim sets the tone by singing, “You are sunlight and I moon/ Joined by the gods of fortune/ Midnight and high noon/ Sharing the sky/ We have been blessed, you and I.”

For his part, Chris shares a piece of his mind saying, “You are here like a mystery/ I’m from a world that’s so different/ From all that you are/ How in the light of one night/ Did we come so far?”

Before he has come to such a realization, Chris seems to have grappled with the thought of loving Kim in Why God Why? It’s a solo musical number that captures the beauty of soliloquy in any dramatic presentation in which a character is attuned to his or her emotions and thoughts.

What seals the love Chris and Kim have for each other and the decision for them to move forward, despite the challenging plight they are in, is told in The Last Night of the World. They are hopeful that tomorrow will bring them change, like as he puts it, “On the other side of the earth/ There’s a place where life still has worth/ I will take you.”

Then, she reciprocates it with utter happiness in her voice, “I’ll go with you.”

The Movie in My Mind features Kim and Gigi with fellow bar girls, Dominique, Fifi, Yvonne, Mimi, and Yvette, who wish to flee their current plight.

To borrow the words of Kim, one could say that the “gods of fortune” have played significantly in their meeting and eventual romance, but maybe the gods have other plans for the couple to learn what love is.

Three years have passed (from 1975 to 1978), and Kim remains faithful to Chris, who is unaware that he and she have a son. With the help of John, Chris will meet Tam and Kim. The song, I’d Give My Life for You, depicts Kim’s evolving perspective on love, from the romantic to the selfless one, brought about by motherhood and parenthood.

She may have failed in her personal relationship, but she would love to succeed in securing Tam’s future.

“I’ll give you a million things I’ll never own/ I’ll give you a world to conquer when you’re grown,” sings Kim, and firmly assures her son with this line: “As long as you can have your chance, I swear I’d give my life for you.”

Aside from the interracial love story, “Miss Saigon” may be viewed as a tale about dreaming and fulfilling one’s aspirations, like enjoying a cheerful life or making it big somewhere. Regardless of the characters’ contexts, The Movie in My Mind and The American Dream speak of it, and they take the last two spots on the list.

These musical numbers are great and welcome additions to one’s playlist, but watching actors act and sing them on stage live promises an experience like no other.

Josef Strauss: Ardent Love (Brennende Liebe) / Polka mazurka op. 129 (1863)

Johannes Wildner, Conductor Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester | Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra Live recorded on 15 May 2016 in the Golden Hall of the Viennese Musikverein. Synopsis: The polka mazurka Brennende Liebe (Ardent Love), op. 129, was composed by Josef Strauss in Pavlovsk in 1862. However, there it was performed as Amorette, or Küsse mich (Kiss me), with the opus number 122, although there is no connection to the polka française Amourette, op. 147, which he composed later. Josef gave the first performance of the work as one of several new pieces at his first benefit concert in Pavlovsk on 1 [13 NS] September 1862. The polka mazurka must have been well received as it was, rather unusually, also performed on the two following days. In the month to the final concert of the season it appeared on the programme no fewer than ten times. After his return to Vienna, Josef presented the piece to the public there on 9 November at the Sperl establishment, for the first time under the title Brennende Liebe — ‘ardent love’. It is now no longer possible to determine who was responsible for the renaming and why it was done. The new title is taken from one of the everyday German names for plants of the genus Lychnis, variously known in English as, for example ‘ragged robin’ or ‘cuckooflower’. The plant, shown on the title page of the first edition for piano, has bright red flowers. The romantic associations of the German name were explored in a poem by Julius Mosen which appeared in 1836: ’In my little garden there smile many flowers bright and red, But of them all it’s burning love which troubles heart and head.’ The poem’s popularity is shown by the surprisingly large number of times it was set to music in the middle of the nineteenth century, albeit by composers who have now been mostly forgotten. It may be assumed that the world of thought conjured up in the poem was what gave rise to the title the polka mazurka was ultimately given. Be that as it may, it is titles like this that have helped to create the image of the ‘poetic’ Josef Strauss. Synopsis: Dr. Thomas Aigner Translation: Dr. Leigh H. Bailey

Aserejé (The Ketchup Song) [Spanish Version] - Las Ketchup

Aquarela do Brasil - Ray Conniff The Tribute Show - Brasil

Hugo Distler - Singet dem Herrn | DAS VOKALPROJEKT

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years [Official Music Video]

2,419,739,980 views Oct 27, 2011 #AThousandYears #ChristinaPerri

2,419,739,980 views • Oct 27, 2011 • #AThousandYears #ChristinaPerri

© 2011 WMG the official music video of “a thousand years”

Save The Last Dance For Me by Emmylou Harris (with lyrics)

"Save the Last Dance for Me" is a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Emmylou Harris covered the song in a country/bluegrass style in 1979. Her version reached the top ten on the U.S. country singles chart in mid-1979.

Last 'Switch' for PPO's 39th concert season

BY MANILA BULLETIN ENTERTAINMENT

Apr 7, 2024 08:35 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• For its finale concert, the resident orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Philippines will feature violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. as its guest soloist.

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The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the country’s primary orchestra, will take its last ‘Switch’ for its 39th concert season on April 19, 7:30 pm, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

For its finale concert, the resident orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Philippines will feature violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. as its guest soloist. 

Saraza Jr. is an active concert violinist, chamber musician, and avid educator. The former Manila Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster, Saraza is a well-established musical artist that has taken part in many international solo performances with different orchestras such as the Mannes Orchestra, New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra to name a few. His extensive solo and chamber performances include prestigious venues that span from Philippines’ Cultural Center of the Philippines, New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, to Russia’s Tchaikovsky’s Concert Hall among others.

For its final concert, PPO music director and principal conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak will take the baton, leading the national orchestra in a night of Fete Francaise. The concert program includes: National Artist Lucresia Kasilag's Violin Concerto No. 1, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5.

An instrumental in developing Philippine music and culture, the National Artist for Music was recognized for including indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions. She has written more than 350 musical compositions that range from folksongs to opera to orchestral pieces. She was the founding mother of the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center for research and theatrical presentations and actively involved herself with the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company.

Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. A child prodigy, he was already giving public concerts as a pianist and organist at a young age. One of his best-known works is the Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, op. 28. composed in 1863, it was dedicated to Pablo de Sarasate, a Spanish virtuoso violinist, who frequently programmed it in his concert engagements, thus making it popular enough that other French composers made arrangements of it.

Completing the concert finale’s program is Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, a classic piece which is said to pay homage to masters Mozart and Haydn. Schubert deeply admired Mozart. His composition is frequently said to resemble the prolific and influential composer.

Ranked among the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music, Schubert and his work continues to be admired and widely performed. He was a composer during the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He has composed symphonies, masses, and piano works and is best remembered for his “lieder."

Tickets to PPO Concert VIII: Fete Francaise are priced at Php3,000 (Orchestra Center), Php2,000 (Orchestra Side), Php2,500 (Loge Center), Php1,500 (Loge Side), and Php800 (Balcony 1).

The PPO concert season is made possible with partners SSI Group, Inc., TBWA\SMP, Ascott Bonifacio Global City, and Lyf Malate Manila.

For more information, visit the CCP (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest updates.