Tempesta di Mare's "Messiah'

Tempesta di Mare advertised its production of Handel's Messiah as a rare chance to hear Handel's best-known oratorio performed with the instruments and modest forces that were actually used in most 18th-Century performances.

That depends on how you define rare.

In greater Philadelphia, Valentin Radu's Vox Amadeus presents that type of Messiah every Christmas. For more than 30 years, starting in 1968, Franklin Zimmerman's Pennsylvania Pro Musica presented an annual Messiah with Baroque-scale forces and modern instruments. Zimmerman is a Handel scholar whose productions reflected his knowledge of Baroque style and performance practice, even without Baroque instruments.

The rarest aspect of Tempest di Mare's Messiah was its place on the calendar. Messiah has become a Christmas tradition, but it was originally considered an Easter work.

The fact that this performance took place on St. Patrick's Day gave it some additional significance for those who believe there's more to Irish culture than green hats and beer-soaked drunks. Handel led the first public performance of Messiah in Dublin on April 13, 1742, and Tempesta di Mare reproduced the premiere's most important features.

Catholic and Protestant

Like all classics, Messiah can be approached from many angles. Franklin Zimmerman led a sturdy, Protestant reading. Valentin Radu is a Rumanian Catholic whose Messiahs echo the more sensual liturgical music of the Catholic tradition.

The choral work in this Tempesta di Mare edition can best be described as light and graceful rather than imposing. One of its biggest virtues was its blend of orchestra and chorus.

In many modern performances of choral works, the chorus must reach the audience across the big sound created by a full orchestra playing modern instruments. The Choral Arts chorus and the Tempesta di Mare period-instrument orchestra achieved such a perfect balance that the orchestra sounded like another section of the chorus.

Auditorium's challenge

The event's oddest aspect was its choice of venue. Most Baroque-scale Messiahs I've heard have been presented in Philadelphia churches with proportions that suit the smaller forces. Penn's Irvine Auditorium is significantly larger than most churches. Its ultra-high ceiling increases the volume that musicians must fill, and its soft modern theater seats probably absorb more sound than wooden pews.

Overall, the performance could have benefited from a stronger sense of pace and dramatic tension— a weakness that might have resulted from the lack of a single conductor with a firm, consistent vision. This was a Tempesta di Mare project with Choral Arts Philadelphia as the guest chorus, and the two organizations split the conducting responsibilities. Emlyn Ngai led the orchestra from his position as Tempesta's concertmaster, and the music director of Choral Arts, Matthew Glandorf, conducted the chorus from his place at the organ.

In a similar situation, when Piffaro, Philadelphia's Renaissance wind band, worked with Glandorf, it handed him the conductor's authority. Baroque composers may have conducted from the keyboard, but I think we can be confident that Handel imposed his vision on the proceedings.

Gentlemanly air

Many choral groups spread the solos among their choristers. Tempesta di Mare imported four soloists with substantial professional credentials.

Tenor Aaron Sheehan set a high standard from the opening notes of the first aria, "Comfort ye my people," and he maintained the same level of quality throughout the afternoon. Bass William Sharp proclaimed, "Who may abide the day of his coming"— which is sung by an alto in later versions of Messiah— with a declamatory style that no alto could attempt.

Sharp, the oldest member of the quartet, presented his major number, "The trumpet shall sound," with a gentlemanly air that evoked the historical setting that Tempesta commemorated.

High-wire trumpet act

Irvine Auditorium proved less kind to the female soloists, both of whom possess appealing voices but might have penetrated more effectively in a more hospitable location. Ah Young Hang combines a soprano range with the color of an alto, and she can make big leaps without shrieking or shouting. Alto Jennifer Lane scored a hit when she sang with Tempesta di Mare in December at Tempesta's customary site, the Arch Street Meetinghouse, but she sounded subdued in this setting.

Among the instrumentalists, Emlyn Ngai added his usual flair to several important moments, and Nathan Botts deserves special mention for his flawless work with the valveless natural trumpet that his predecessors played in Handel's day.

"The trumpet shall sound" is a high wire act that requires split second coordination among the orchestra, the soloist and the trumpeter. Botts met all its challenges, playing a notoriously cranky instrument without the aid of a conductor.

In spite of my caveats, this was an ambitious project that deserved the applause it received. At minimum, it gave us a chance to contemplate Messiah without the haze of Christmas emotions that usually surrounds it.

When the Irish tote up their glories, they should remember that a down-on-his-luck composer turned to their capital city when he unveiled the masterpiece that enriched him for life and the world for centuries.