The M-Word: Messiah, If You Must
After yesterday's preview of the endless list of holiday concerts in the area in December, it is time to discuss the piece that must not be named, Georg Friedrich Händel's Messiah (1742). Yes, it is a masterpiece of music history, but the lamentable annual round of weary performances at Christmas time (in spite of the fact that Messiah is an Easter work), makes me want to run screaming for anything else this time of year. For some people, it is just not the Holiday Season without attending a performance of Messiah, which is why in Washington, as in many cities, no weekend in December and almost no day up through Christmas Eve will be without a performance of Messiah. Some will be better than others, of course: if you must, here are some suggestions.
THE BEST:
>> The only thing that really justifies yet another performance of this grossly overexposed work is an approach that is new and inventive. Enter the always innovative American Opera Theater, an experimental opera company based in Baltimore, which is offering a staged production of Messiah. As part of its new residency at Georgetown University, director Timothy Nelson has created a narrative of staged action that will unfold along with the musical performance. The musical quality will be good, and the idea of refashioning something so familiar by means of a new narrative is exciting. According to their advance materials, with this production American Opera Theater "peers through Messiah to look at the questions of being human at the beginning of the new millennium." Tickets: $15 to $30. December 7 to 9, Davis Arts Center.
>> The most pleasing traditional performance this year is likely to be the one offered by the Choirs and Orchestra of Washington National Cathedral. In particular, the soprano soloist, Susan Lewis, has a voice worth hearing. December 7, 7:30 p.m.; December 9, 4 p.m.
THE REST:
>> The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will present Messiah twice this year, once at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore (December 7, 7:30 p.m.) and once closer to Washington in the Music Center at Strathmore (December 8, 8 p.m.).
>> As always, one of the last versions of Messiah is the one with the highest profile, presented by the National Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, with the University of Maryland Concert Choir. The Web site's little blurb brilliantly encapsulates the problem for musicians in playing the same work over and over, saying that Messiah is "performed each year with a fresh perspective by the NSO and acclaimed guest artists." If you really want a fresh perspective, maybe performing something else every other year would be a good idea. Tickets: $20 to $80 ($10 tickets for students, through the Attend! program, for some performances). December 20 to 23.
>> The National Philharmonic will also cash in on Messiah, of course, in the Music Center at Strathmore. Tickets: $29 to $79 (children ages 7 to 17 free when accompanied by an adult). December 22 and 23.
>> If you want to sing Messiah yourself, there are a surprising number of singalong performances, too. At most of them you can bring along your own score or rent one there. The big one of these is hosted by the Kennedy Center in the Concert Hall (December 9, 2 p.m.), about which more later. However, many churches in the area also have Messiah singalongs, and this article in the Washington Post lists several of them, as well as a few more regional options to get that "fresh perspective" on this favorite — or dreaded — work.