After 15 years without hearing anything but short segments of one of the best known and most performed choral works in Western music, tapatíos are about to get an earful of “The Messiah.”
Composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with English lyrics drawn from the King James Bible, the piece has been chosen as the concierto navideño (Christmas concert) of the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Choir. The acclaimed oratorio is being performed this weekend (Friday, December 5, 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 7, 12:30 p.m.) in the acoustically excellent Teatro Degollado in downtown Guadalajara.
“The last time the State Choir did the entire ‘Messiah’ was 15 years ago,” noted Choir Director Sergio Hernández.
The fact that the work has been selected is probably due to the relatively new director of the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, Marco Parisotto. Although
Parisotto is not directing this performance, his Canadian roots probably led him to select “The Messiah,” said an orchestra insider.
“In Canada they pay homage to the Queen, so ‘The Messiah,’ with its lore connected with British royalty, is very popular there. Every English speaker should come this weekend and stand up during ‘The Hallelujah Chorus,’ like King George II is supposed to have done.”
Guest conductor Juan Carlos Lomónaco said that the concert, which will last an hour and 45 minutes, comprises 80 percent of the material Handel composed for “The Messiah.” The work has undergone a lot of revision over the centuries and some have criticized the tendency to make “The Messiah” into a large scale, bombastic work, since the baroque composer originally wrote the piece for a modest orchestra in Dublin.
Accordingly, this weekend’s performance will utilize an orchestra that is, as Lomónaco put it, “a bit reduced. We will have a harpsichord, two trumpets, two oboes, two bassoons, kettledrums and a string section,” he pointed out.
Of course, the spotlight will be on the 40-member State Choir in this work, as well as on the four invited soloists, soprano Dhyana Arom, mezzosoprano Guadalupe Paz, tenor Ernesto Ramírez and baritone Carlos Alberto López Santillán. Choir singers say that they are excited about performing the entire piece, while Lomónaco reports that English presents no problem for the singers, who frequently sing in languages other than Spanish and who frequently count “The Messiah” among their favorites.
Tickets, 110-300 pesos, available at Ticketmaster (33) 3818-3800 and www.ticketmaster.com.mx, and the Degollado Theater box office, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Tel. (33) 3614-4773. Teatro Degollado is in Guadalajara’s city center two blocks behind the main cathedral. A 30-percent discount is available only at box office for students, teachers, seniors (with valid ID) and persons with disabilities. Orchestra information: (33) 3030-9772 weekdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Access to Degollado Theater only to children ages 6 and over.