Civic Orchestra of Victoria - Sing-along Messiah
Hello, friends!
We have reached December, which means that we have reached the season for CHRISTMAS STUFF. Which means that the Civic Orchestra of Victoria is playing Handel’s Messiah with some fantastic soloists. And you, if you like singing!
Handel’s Messiah is an epic oratorio that spans the whole entire life of Jesus and then some, includes songs about feet, earthquakes, the apocalypse, and of course, the Hallelujah Chorus. I don’t really understand why it’s a Christmas thing here (Jesus is born in, like, the first half and you have the whole rest of the oratorio to deal with after that), but it is.
It was written in 1741, and the version we’re performing was re-orchestrated by Mozart in 1789 to suit contemporary tastes and then redone again by a fellow named Ebenezer Prout in 1902. Anybody want to take on a refit that has keytars in it?
One of the coolest things for me about Messiah is that it’s all in English, which is refreshing because I am so used to not understanding choral music as an English speaker. This is probably also why sing-alongs in the English-speaking world are popular. The energy in the room is great throughout the choruses, too, just because of the audience participation. My favorite part of playing this is accompanying the soloists, though; they’re wonderful singers, and they’re worth coming to see even if you don’t sing along.
This is one show of ours that does consistently sell out, so if you’re excited about doing this, get your tickets here ahead of time. There are scores available for you to borrow if you want one.
This concert is at First Metropolitan United Church, at 7pm on December 18th. I hope to see (and maybe hear?) you there!
Happy holidays.