Classic Oratorio Receives an Outstanding Performance
By George B. Parous
The usual elements surrounding the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and a performance of George Frideric Handёl’s timeless oratorio, The Messiah, were in place last evening at Heinz Hall. Manfred Honeck as conductor assured a stellar interpretation, and the anticipated crowd began to fill the hall at 6:30. There were people willing to wait for cancellations, but by that time, the roughly 2,700 seats were taken, and had been for some time. A number of people were forced to sit out the first part of the program on the wrong side of the auditorium, as they were delayed by the traffic and construction atrocities that are downtown Pittsburgh. Still, a festive and cheerful atmosphere pervaded; people seemed to be happy to be there under any circumstances.
The strings of the orchestra, with the occasional trumpet and drum, gave the performance that comes so reliably from these gifted instrumentalists that it was no surprise that they seemed to top their usual excellence to mark the occasion. Maestro Honeck conducted with much animation and an endurance that never lagged through the 90 minutes of The Messiah that were performed. Uncut performances last the better part of two and a half hours and more. There are many who would gladly listen to the work in its entirety, and maybe one year we will. After all, Handёl spent much time creating this truly great work of art. Once he received the text from librettist Charles Jennens on August 22, 1741, he completed composition of the music in twenty-four days.
The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, reduced in numbers from the previous evening’s concert, sang splendidly under Daniel Singer’s direction. For precision, unity, tone and more, they provided a truly magnificent part of the evening’s performance. Particularly well done were the “His yoke is easy and His burthen is light,” which closed Part I, and “All we like sheep have gone astray” and “Let us break their bonds asunder,” in Part II. And of course the famous “Hallelujah” chorus brought the audience to its feet, deservedly so, for its performance was a true thrill. Even Maestro Honeck couldn’t resist turning to beam at the audience.
The array of vocal soloists was outstanding. Soprano Jeanine De Bique, as we’ve mentioned before, is one of the most brilliant talents on the classical stages of our time. She sings with tones that are exceptionally lovely, crisp, clear and appealing, supported by a breathing technique that allows her to swell to powerful phrases or float the softest pianissimos with ease and abandon. Her method is truly the bel canto style at its best. She sang impressively throughout, but “Come unto Him,” in Part I, and “I know that my Redeemer Liveth,” in Part II, were especially well delivered among the part’s many recitatives, airs and ariosos. She looked lovely in a simple gown of jet.
John Matthew Myers had a considerable amount of music to sing and did it well. His voice is a true tenor, pure, fresh and robust. The last row of seats heard his softest tones, and he was at his best in the higher and more sustained passages. Once or twice the more florid ornamentations in the lower registers clipped a phrase, but these were canceled by excellent diction and an obvious devotion to the work at hand. He was most definitely a crowd pleaser.
The trend recently appears to eliminate the mezzo-soprano/contralto from the bill and replace her with a countertenor, as if she weren’t harried enough by playing second-fiddle so often. But Reginald Mobley, as he did in the 2022 production of The Messiah, proved to be a countertenor well worth assuming the work’s music. I first heard him in Chatham Baroque’s performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, some time ago. He sang very well then, as he certainly did last night. He excelled in the more florid passages, neatly delivered, and also had the lower phrases when needed. He was at his best in the better known passages, such as “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion” and “He shall feed his flock.” He sings with a becoming ease and grace.
Baritone Joshua Hopkins, who had sung a considerable amount of music in the previous evening’s concert, was back to sing the even more considerable amount in last night’s work. For such a young looking man, he’s won considerable acclaim for his work on the operatic and concert stages of this country and Europe. He approaches his work with sincerity and an earnestness that are palpable, and has a powerful voice to back up his painstaking delivery. One of his best efforts was “The trumpet shall sound,” when he turned and focused his attention on the unnamed trumpeter’s solo. It was an added touch of sincerity and class. UPDATE: The trumpet soloist was Micah Wilkinson.
The evening’s thrilling finale came in the blink of an eye, it seemed. Torrential applause brought the cast back for several recalls, bouquets made the rounds, and a couple of thousand people poured back into the streets for home, surely humming a favorite “tune.”
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