Unusual presentation made the work more accessible and
understandable to general audiences. (Review by Keith Millar)
George Frideric Handel’s magnificent oratorio
Messiah is arguably one of
the greatest pieces of sacred music ever written. Every year at Easter and
Christmas, it is performed in churches and concert halls around the world. The
format of performances is usually quite formal with soloists and a choir who
“stand and sing”.
However, the structure of Messiah, as with most oratorios, is operatic. It has arias, choruses
and recitatives and is not short on drama. So, possibly one should not have been
completely taken aback to find that the Playhouse Company’s Easter Sunday
production of Messiah had been
dramatized and was staged as a quasi-opera.
There were no period costumes, apart from a group of the
choristers who were dressed as footmen, but all the soloists played biblical
characters, while the choir moved about the stage, occasionally getting
involved in the dramatic action.
In addition to this, there were other theatrical tricks
on display. Such as dramatic lighting, billowing smoke and changing backdrops
and screens.
I, for one, have never seen a symphony orchestra
engulfed in special effects smoke which had wafted down from the stage. All
credit to them that they played on without missing beat despite having
difficulty in seeing their scores.
It was all very impressively and professionally done
under the direction of veteran theatre practitioner Ralph Lawson. However,
there was more than one traditionalist in the audience who were squirming in
their seats at all these bells and whistles added to a performance of their
beloved Messiah.
By and large, though, it seemed as if the majority of
the enthusiastic and excited audience loved these goings on and felt that it
all added to the enjoyment of the occasion. Their rock concert reaction to the Hallelujah! chorus certainly confirmed
this.
None of the above, however, could detract from the
magnificence of Handel’s incomparable music performed with consummate skill and
extraordinary beauty.
The Playhouse Company Choral, under the guidance
director/ repetiteur Gerhard Geist, is very good indeed. They have strong
voices in all sections and produce a powerful and balanced sound. Their
rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus was
resounding and triumphant and will be remembered for a long time.
The Playhouse Company gathered together a strong group
of soloists for this performance. They were mezzo-soprano Vuilina Anguelov,
sopranos Khumbuzile Dhlamini and Nozuko Yeto, baritone Aubrey Lodewyk and well-known
tenor Stéfan Louw. All five sang superbly and made a considerable contribution
to the musical celebration.
The KZNPO, as one has come to expect, performed with
aplomb. They seem to respond well, as did the choir, to the sympathetic and expressive
conducting of Naum Rousine. The orchestra was not hidden away in the pit but
rather packed together in the area between the end of the stage and the first
rows of seating. This worked well and their proximity to the audience lent a
certain intimacy to the event.
There were a few special occasions, such as for the Hallelujah Chorus, when the choir
crowded right at the front of the stage and seemed to be one with the orchestra
as they performed with astonishing volume, power and clarity. Certainly a goose
bump and lump in the throat experience.
All in all, this production of Handel’s Messiah was an outstanding musical
performance. The unusual presentation made it more accessible and
understandable to the general audiences. On the other hand, it may have
irritated the aficionados.
However, in the end, to attend a performance of
Handel’s Messiah remains an spiritual
experience. – Keith Millar
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