How heart-warming it was to read, in the elegant and informative programme, that Handel had decided to settle in London after the success there of his Italianate opera Rinaldo in 1711, “taking out British citizenship in 1727”. It sounded so easy. Perhaps, in these troubled times, we should be considering how to celebrate the forthcoming tercentenary of Handel’s happy decision.
Meanwhile, however, the Oxford Sinfonia and vOx Chamber Choir, conducted by David Crown, gave us a timely reminder of Handel’s genius and of the reason for Messiah’s popularity as a mainstay of Christmas music in this country. The orchestral and choral forces, and the fine quartet of soloists, gave a committed and uplifting performance of a work which transcends liturgical division. How fitting that it took place in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, since early in the work, we hear the contralto sing the recitative: 'Behold! A virgin shall conceive and bear a son'. Yet the church itself has been no stranger to doctrinal conflict over the centuries, perhaps most (in)famously as the location of the trial for heresy of the Oxford Martyrs, Bishop Latimer, Bishop Ridley and Archbishop Cranmer, before they were burned at the stake just around the corner on Broad Street.
Such reflections were far from the mind of the present writer as soon as the orchestra introduced the oratorio with their strongly rhythmical, driving account of the fugue in the Sinfony (Overture). The clarity insisted upon by David Crown was a notable feature of their playing throughout the evening.
Unusually for a Handel oratorio, the soloists do not portray characters, but in their arias – in the manner of J S Bach’s St Matthew Passion also of 1727 – reflect rather on the action of the biblical narrative and its significance. Handel’s sense of the operatic was immediately in evidence with the opening tenor recitative and aria ,Comfort yes, my people' followed by 'Ev'ry valley shall be exalted'. Osian Wyn Bowen brought a gloriously Welsh declamatory style to his singing, proclaiming with triumphant tones the joy to come when mountain and hill would be made low and the rough places plain. Later, he would return to excoriate the kings of the world rising up against the Lord in the virtuoso aria 'Thou shalt break them', with its terrifying, stratospheric climax, truly a voice to set Cardiff’s Principality Stadium alight.
Annie George, mezzo soprano, brought an intimacy to her arias, especially in the grief-laden 'He was despised'. Her tone was warm throughout, and her phrasing sensitive, and she held her own bravely against the spitting and smiting of the orchestra’s violently dotted rhythms. Sadly, her lower register was at times drowned by the orchestra. Simon Pratt, bass, gave a resonant and determined account of his contrasting arias, projecting well and with excellent diction. Perhaps by the end, the emotion had taken its toll, resulting in some uncertain intonation in Part 3, while his eyes darted nervously around the audience. The soprano Madeline Robinson brought all her operatic experience to this performance. Here was singing of captivating beauty, the text visible in her facial expressions and every syllable clearly heard in her purity of tone and faultless sense of pitch and articulation. 'Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion' was quite simply a highlight of the evening, full of dancing rhythms, irrepressible joy and astonishingly virtuosic yet innately musical runs. 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' was another, her effortlessly high register benefiting from just a single cello accompanying in place of the whole section. After the interval, she wisely appeared in her padded winter coat, such was the temperature in St Mary’s.
The orchestra and chorus were inexhaustible. Despite some judicious and sensible cuts, this is still a very long work, yet they all made light of it and were generally alive to the precise demands of the conductor. For some reason, the orchestra seemed less comfortable in the lilting 6/8 movements, but they really came into their own when accompanying the allegro arias in particular, and the continuo provided a responsive accompaniment to the recitatives. It would have been kinder to allow the four soloists to sing from the space in front of the violins, rather than tucked away amongst the lower strings from where not all of them could always be heard. In its eagerness, the orchestra just occasionally revealed an inconsistency in its rhythm and its approach to vibrato, but they managed the abrupt changes in tempo extremely well throughout. 'The trumpet shall sound' proclaims the libretto towards the end – and so it did, brilliantly, sparklingly.
Messiah is a big “sing” for any chorus, and certainly for a chamber choir. The vOx chorus rose to the challenge magnificently. They sang with total commitment and conviction, not least in 'Hallelujah', which they appeared to sing from memory, thus watching the conductor even more closely to great effect, and in 'Let us break our bonds asunder'. The sopranos were outstanding; even after this marathon, their searing top “A” at the end of the 'Amen' was spine-chilling. Occasionally, the chorus was a touch obscured by the orchestra (perhaps fewer double basses and cellos might have helped here) and a couple more altos would have strengthened the balance, but their intonation and diction were splendid, and the bass section responded triumphantly to the high tessitura of 'Worthy is the Lamb'.
By turns jubilant, moving, anxious or confident in the ultimate salvation of mankind, Messiah covers a vast range of human emotion. This performance captured it all, and left the audience feeling that despite the horrors of the world around us just now, music as wonderful as this, performed with such passion and enthusiasm, could give us hope for the future.