Brott’s Messiah in Hamilton
Sunday night Bob, David, Robbie and I were supposed to go to Burlington to hear Messiah at the Anglican Church there. Of course, that was the day of the big snow storm, and the concert was cancelled. I was glad it was, because I did not look forward to driving to Hamilton in the snow.
Fortunately, our tickets were good for the next night’s performance Hamilton in at a Baptist Church. I am sure the acoustics were not as good as the Anglican Church, but we did get to sit right in the front row near the bass, cellos and harpsichord players. I realize the sound would have been better over all if we had sat in the balcony or somewhere further back, but I really enjoyed being up close to the orchestra.
Boris Brott, his National Academy Orchestra, plus Ron Beckett’s Arcady Singers and four vocal soloists performed Handel’s Messiah before a packed audience. I must say, I enjoyed the performance immensely. It was characterized by extremely fast tempi, which made singing some of the pieces very difficult, both for the soloists and the chorus. As a result some of the melismatic parts sounded a little sloppy -- especially among the soloists. I have to give the chorus credit for doing a great job most of the time. And there were times when they sounded -- as small a group as they are (about 5 voices per part) -- absolutely magnificent! I was particularly pleased to see four male altos in the group, giving that section of the choir a strength normally missing in many ensembles. They were well able to hold their own against the sopranos and other male voices. The Arcady Singers really had a nice sound overall.
The orchestra was as basic as it could be; a couple of violins per section, three cellos, a bass, harpsichord, typanist and two trumpets. They were really quite good, kept up well with the fast tempi, and made it easy to hear all of the separate parts of the score. This is what I like about a small group. And when they play with the quality of Brott’s orchestra, it is all the more enjoyable!
The soloists were not bad. I would say they were more “second rank” in quality, but certainly gave their all and were not hard to listen to. Each of them had some nice moments, and I enjoyed their work as part of the overall experience. All in all, the best $25 I have spent in a long time.
Fortunately, our tickets were good for the next night’s performance Hamilton in at a Baptist Church. I am sure the acoustics were not as good as the Anglican Church, but we did get to sit right in the front row near the bass, cellos and harpsichord players. I realize the sound would have been better over all if we had sat in the balcony or somewhere further back, but I really enjoyed being up close to the orchestra.
Boris Brott, his National Academy Orchestra, plus Ron Beckett’s Arcady Singers and four vocal soloists performed Handel’s Messiah before a packed audience. I must say, I enjoyed the performance immensely. It was characterized by extremely fast tempi, which made singing some of the pieces very difficult, both for the soloists and the chorus. As a result some of the melismatic parts sounded a little sloppy -- especially among the soloists. I have to give the chorus credit for doing a great job most of the time. And there were times when they sounded -- as small a group as they are (about 5 voices per part) -- absolutely magnificent! I was particularly pleased to see four male altos in the group, giving that section of the choir a strength normally missing in many ensembles. They were well able to hold their own against the sopranos and other male voices. The Arcady Singers really had a nice sound overall.
The orchestra was as basic as it could be; a couple of violins per section, three cellos, a bass, harpsichord, typanist and two trumpets. They were really quite good, kept up well with the fast tempi, and made it easy to hear all of the separate parts of the score. This is what I like about a small group. And when they play with the quality of Brott’s orchestra, it is all the more enjoyable!
The soloists were not bad. I would say they were more “second rank” in quality, but certainly gave their all and were not hard to listen to. Each of them had some nice moments, and I enjoyed their work as part of the overall experience. All in all, the best $25 I have spent in a long time.