by Marvin J. Ward

Northampton, MA, 16 December 2007.   Arcadia Players, conducted by its Artistic Director Ian Watson, offered its own characteristic interpretation of G.F. Handel’s classic, originally composed for Lent, in St. Mary’s Church here yesterday evening.  Weather permitting, it will be repeated in Springfield, MA, this afternoon, where it may be, sadly, the final concert in the Old First Church on Court Square.  The parish, founded in 1637, has voted, in the face of declining membership and increased maintenance costs, to disband and to sell the building, which dates from 1819.

Arcadia Players uses forces similar to those of the original 13 April 1742 (which was the Tuesday before Easter) premiere in Dublin’s New Musick-Hall.  Yesterday evening, they consisted of 21 singers and 20 instrumentalists, playing period instruments, including a violone, the double bass of the viol family.  They always perform the work without featured soloists, members of the chorus sharing the recitatives, accompagnatos and airs instead.  They were shared by 3 sopranos: Diana Brewer, Deanna Joseph, and Brenda McDonald; 3 altos: Dorie Goldman, Paulette Labarre, and Scott Reeves; 3 tenors: Walter Denny, Richard Monroe, and Peter Shea; and 2 basses: Matthew Rippere and John Salvi, in alphabetical, not performing order.  This practice allows the director to choose a voice whose qualities are especially well-suited to the text and music of the individual numbers, which produces some strikingly beautiful renditions: In textual order, Brewer’s “There were shepherds abiding in the fields..” and the following angel texts sequence, and Goldman’s “Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…” and  the following “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd…” duet with McDonald were particularly felicitous in this respect.   Singling these out is not to suggest in any way, however, that any of the solo work was anything less than outstanding.  Since many of these singers are also known to many of the listeners from other performances, it also makes for a more intimate atmosphere and rapport with the audience, even in the church’s large Gothic-style nave, thus creating a far more satisfying listening experience than the more common traditional, showy concert hall style presentation.

Watson, who is an internationally recognized expert in music of this period as well as a world-renowned organist, conducts in a very expressive, energetic, almost participatory style that is nonetheless very fluid and natural, yet not at all dramatic or distracting.  He uses his hands, arms, legs, and feet, indeed his entire body to set the rhythms and coax the desired sounds from the musicians, and they comply with obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment.  No stiff, authoritarian baton wielder he!  He takes many of the numbers at sprightly, brisk, even bouncy tempi, which are sometimes startling to listeners not familiar with Baroque performance practices, and he tends to emphasize the contrasts between these and the more stately largo movements.  He also controls dynamic contrasts tightly.  This is where the drama and the show lie, and it is superbly effective and pleasing.

The consecutive numbering of the 43 movements in the printed “Personnel and Libretto” program book insert disguised the fact that some 8 of the standard 53 numbers were cut (14, 15, & 16 were listed as 14 a, b, c, & d): 4 from Part 2 (Nos. 34-37) and 4 from Part 3 (Nos. 49-52).  Handel made some revisions and additions to the original score in 1743, 1745, and 1750; I do not know if they involved these numbers or not.   The excisions include 4 choruses, 2 recitatives, an air, and an alto-tenor duet.  The insert gave the Biblical references for each of the texts that librettist Charles Jennens chose to piece together the story, reminding us that even though the narrative recounts the life of Jesus Christ, the vast majority of the words come from the Old and not the New Testament.

The audience was not instantly on its feet at the outset of the “Hallelujah” chorus, but it most enthusiastically was at the conclusion of the “Amen.”  Arcadia Players’ Messiah has acquired quite a bit of renown in the Pioneer Valley in the 19 years of the group’s existence, and generally attracts, as it did yesterday, a large audience, some of whose members drive considerable distances, when it offers it, which it does not do annually.  Readers might wish to watch for its next re-appearance!

N.B. The Springfield performance has been postponed to 23 December at 3 PM.

The City of Springfield announced on 27 December that it will purchase the property for $900,000.  Plans call for the majority of the building to be converted to office space so the City can vacate rented space elsewhere and for the sanctuary to be used as a meeting and performance space.  This is especially appropriate because it can serve for different types of music from that offered in neighboring historic Symphony Hall, thus augmenting the options in the same area.