This is a sponsored post. We received tickets in order to facilitate this review.
First, let me start off this review by saying I know that Handel’s “Messiah” is composed of Bible passages. The words are religious so, if that is not something you like then you may want to skip this one. That being said, it is definitely a worthy piece. There is a lot that a full choir can do that an orchestra cannot alone. You may not be entirely familiar with the entire score, but I’m certain you know the Hallelujah chorus which is in Part Two.
The Apollo Chorus has been performing Handel’s “Messiah” nearly every December since 1879. So, you can imagine that they are equally fantastic every time. They are conducted by Steven Alltop and David Bachmann (assistant conductor). Although, it’s easy to look past a conductor during the performance you can tell that The Apollo Chorus is attentive and not missing any cues. Of course, we can’t forget the soloists with Elisabeth Marshall (soprano), J’nai Bridges (alto), Samuel Levine (tenor) and David Govertsen (bass). They do a fantastic job even though I wished for more chorus parts. What can I say, I love hearing all the parts together in harmony. There’s also an accompanying orchestra including an organ.
The chorus parts were our favorites. Certainly the soloists were perfectly good, but we were there for the choir. The sound can’t be compared to anything else. Even a recorded version isn’t the same. The grand and sumptuous sound of The Apollo Chorus is best heard in person. We were not surprised to find entire families in the audience as for the holiday season it is definitely a good way to share the true meaning of Christmas. While that means, that there are less seats for the rest of us; there are certainly enough to go around.
The Apollo Chorus performs Handel’s “Messiah” again Saturday, December 20 at 3:00 PM at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. You will get a different experience than we had but even the acoustics of a room might change, the performance is still worth having in person. There is definitely a reason that Handel’s “Messiah” is performed every year and you definitely shouldn’t miss out on this musical and spiritual experience.
