Handel’s Messiah is among the world’s most loved Christmas music and for good reason – it has spiritual import and tells the story of the birth, passion and death of Jesus Christ, the reason for the season. Most recently, New Jersey Symphony has held performances at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton as well as the Cathedral Basilica in Newark, and the Newark event is always a red-letter day in my calendar – super special, must-see orchestral and vocal brilliance. This year was the best I can recall, and I’ve seen many Messiah performances!
This year, the New Jersey Symphony was conducted by Nicholas McGegan, who is expert in the music of the Baroque period. This shows in his energy, and approach. The pace at which he takes the orchestra gives the music full measure, pun intended. Rather than cumbersome and dull, the music is lively and energetic and it seems like the orchestra is enjoying literal play. The Montclair State University Singers, Heather Buchanan Musical Director, displayed clean sharp diction and for every chorus seemed to rise as a single entity to serenade us within the vaulted sacred space of the Cathedral Basilica. Yet the majesty of the space was matched only by the soloists, whose highlights were thrilling.
Key’mon W. Murrah, the countertenor soloist, has such a pure tone – earthy, clear and rich. Starting with his first air, “But who may abide”, his effortless masterful ornamentation had me looking forward to every next appearance. There are times where countertenor tone seems cloudy, but Mr. Murrah was as clear as sunlight coming through the Rose Window at the Cathedral, and every bit as lovely. Tenor Thomas Cooley brought the dramatic arc with his sweet tone, deft use of dynamic range and florid abundance of ornamentation. While the tenor doesn’t have much to do in Part I, Mr. Cooley displayed his skills as a storyteller in the tenor section in Part II. His tender narrative of the passion of Jesus as he documented His suffering, drew us into his confidence as he shared what family must know. The final tenor air, “Thou shalt break them”, was delivered with great emotion and verve. Tyler Duncan’s baritone delivered round, full orotund notes in registers usually reserved for pipe organs. Dark drama displayed itself in the bass-baritone air “The people that walked in darkness” where you could feel Mr. Duncan’s low notes vibrating in the middle ear. Truly you could feel the wrath of the Almighty. Sherezade Panthaki provided gloriously dulcet soprano beauty with a delicate filigree of ornamentation. Just enough to augment, and indeed Ms. Panthaki took the opportunity to flex in brilliant ways. The duet of countertenor and soprano “He shall feed his flock/Come unto him” was so radiantly gorgeous, I had tiny tears standing in my eyes.
The final Chorus, “Worthy is the lamb” has a pregnant pause in it that let me hear the Biblical rain on the vaulted roof of the Basilica. Yet Someone was smiling on this performance, as by the time we got to the door of the Basilica, I hardly needed to raise my umbrella, the rain had nearly stopped. This, I thought as I walked to my car, was a Messiah to remember.
Hungry for more classical and contemporary classical joy? Visit the ticket booth at New Jersey Symphony for the gems to come, including the Lunar New Year celebration! Get your tickets for the next events in the season at https://www.njsymphony.org.