APPLETON, WIS. — George Frideric Handel’s popular holiday classic “Messiah” returns to the Lawrence University Memorial Chapel stage Friday Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. in a performance by the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra and all three Lawrence choirs. Tickets are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.
A live webcast of “Messiah” also will be available on WLFM, Lawrence’s student-operated radio station at http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/webcasts/.
Considered by many music experts to be the most famous oratorio ever written, Handel composed “Messiah” in just 24 days in 1741. The libretto, based on the King James Bible, chronicles the life of Christ through the prophecies of Old Testament texts.
“‘Messiah’ is a work that is amazingly balanced between the chorus and soloists,” said Professor of Music Richard Bjella, who will conduct the performance. “Many of Handel’s oratorios have some great choruses or arias, but none has the extraordinary balance that is present in ‘Messiah.’ The range of emotional impact is truly overwhelming.”
Because of its length, “Messiah” is rarely performed in its entirety. Lawrence’s performance will capture the work’s emotion with a range of selections, including “Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted,” “And He Shall Purify,” “The Trumpets Shall Sound” and the famous “Hallelujah Chorus.” The orchestration will feature revisions written by Mozart. Fifteen student soloists will perform the oratorio with the orchestra and the Lawrence Concert Choir, Cantala (women’s choir) and Viking Chorale.
“The drama is complete from the joy of Christmas to the pain of the Lenten season and celebration of Easter as well,” said Bjella. “Handel was extraordinary in his ability to speak in every setting to all people directly. His talent for storytelling brings a theatricality and grandeur to his oratorios that are comparable to opera.”
