In the wake of the New York Times stinging article about the Seattle Symphony and its players’ rather stormy relationship with conductor and music director, Gerard Schwarz, you’d think that the performance of Handel’s Messiah would somehow reflect that ongoing tension. Nothing of the sort. It was, by and large, an excellent rendition of the old Holiday warhorse. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Schwarz wasn’t on the podium. Instead, the dynamic former associate conductor, Christian Knapp, took care of business. In any event, it was a case of the Symphony at its best.
The story of Messiah is a curious one. Broke and depressed, Handel wrote the piece in just three weeks in the summer of 1741, borrowing extensively from his own music and that of, ahem, others. For a text, his frequent collaborator, egotistical hack, George Jennens, fished through the King James Bible to find relevant passages to flesh out the major themes of Jesus’ advent, crucifixion and resurrection. They don’t completely add up, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m sure that Jennens’ opera libretti made even less sense. Handel’s days of being a London operatic superstar were seemingly over, so he chose to have the piece premiered in Dublin, where the Irish had apparently not been informed about his decline in popularity. The rehearsal process did not go smoothly. There were many last-minute changes to the score, and Handel was dealt a lot of grief by none other than the great Jonathan Swift himself, who canceled the concert for a time due to money issues. But all the problems were smoothed out and the piece was performed on April 13, 1742. It was an immediate success and Handel’s career was again on the rise. At a later performance in London, the tradition of standing during the “Hallelujah” Chorus was begun by King George II. Legend has it that he was so overcome by the majesty of the music that rose to his feet. That is one story. Others tell that his gout was acting up, he was bored by the performance and rose to stretch his legs, or, lastly, that he arrived late to the performance and everyone stood up when he made his entrance, which just happened to coincide with the “Hallelujah” Chorus. We’ll never know the real story, but standing during the chorus is a fine tradition. Incidentally, several years after the success of Messiah, George Jennens would claim that the piece’s greatness came about solely because of his awesome libretto.
Each year, Messiah is performed thousands of times around the world. Most performances merely mark time until the famous “Hallelujah” Chorus, shrug through the mostly unwanted Part III and end with the grueling “Amen” Fugue. This wasn’t one of them. Christian Knapp is a conductor who chooses his battles wisely. He knew which parts to emphasize and which to leave alone. Those numbers that he gave extra care to brought additional meaning to this fine and peculiar piece. The most obvious of these was “For unto us a Child is born,” which surpassed even the “Hallelujah” Chorus in spirit and execution. The Symphony Chorus had a superb grasp of what Knapp wanted and responded with a dynamite rendition. Another example was the soprano aria, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Emphasizing the number’s lyrical side, he allowed the soloist, Celena Shafer, some dramatic license to shade her lines nearly to the point of melodrama. It proved to be a very effective way to frame what is usually the beginning of the anti-climax following the “Hallelujah” Chorus.
In addition to Ms. Shafer, the soloists were outstanding, with the exception of alto soloist, Charlotte Hellekant. I don’t know whether it was because she is a mezzo-soprano impressed into an alto role or some other factor, but her performance was heavy on vibrato, low on volume and lacking in any sort of tone or character. She just didn’t sing well. That might have been the cause behind the unexpected omission of her aria, “Thou art gone up on high.” That’s right, Knapp skipped to the following chorus with no explanation. I suppose it was for the best. Otherwise, the solo work was uniformly well done. Additional praise should go to bass soloist, Harold Wilson, for his stirring reading of “Why do the nations so furiously rage together.”
This is the first time I’ve seen Christian Knapp conduct, and I’m very impressed. He recently left his post as the Symphony’s associate conductor for the life of a jet-setting guest conductor. It’s easy to see why. He has a command of the material and can bring out the best from the orchestra. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to see him in any previous performances, but I’m happy that greener pastures await him.
It’s a shame that the Symphony seems to be in such disarray. I used to think that in an ensemble of that size, everyone was generally united in purpose, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s as difficult to think Gerard Schwarz as some egomaniacal tyrant as it is to believe that the Symphony’s musicians can be so consumed with either defending or deposing him. It’s undeniable that Schwarz has been a major force behind the Symphony’s increased nationwide visibility, but there are also strong murmurs from those who deem his conducting second-rate. I’m not in any position to pass judgment. I’m merely thankful that I was able to see this fine version of Messiah before all this hell broke loose.
