Rejoice in the art of precision
Reviewed by David Vance
December 11, 2006
Messiah, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Opera House, December 8
There were about 300 reasons to rejoice in Friday evening’s performance of Handel’s Messiah. Telling good tidings to Zion came readily to that number of singers belonging to the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and assembled under the animated direction of guest conductor Kynan Johns.
He maintained a taut control of the massed voices which, under less certain guidance, might have gone considerably astray.
Instead, there was an impressive precision in attack and clarity of diction. The requisite flexibility to negotiate the fast-moving fugal choruses ensured these numbers were propelled with an exhilarating dramatic power.
Intonation, except in one or two exposed passages for the tenors, remained secure, and the richness of tone resonated gloriously in the Concert Hall. Equally persuasive was the dynamic shading achieved in that extraordinary sequence of moving choruses that begin the second part, containing perhaps the most profound music of the oratorio.
The smaller chorus, used effectively in those more intimate numbers, such as “And he shall purify the sons of Levi”, was similarly disciplined in matters of ensemble and expressive range, ever responsive to Johns’s phrasing and interpretative requirement with telling effect.
If the choral work was the highlight, the performance of the soloists came a close second, but it took some time for each to warm to their sporadic participation.
Disappointingly, no hallelujahs were warranted for the orchestra. With notable exceptions in Julian Smiles’s continuo cello and Paul Goodchild’s gleaming trumpeting, the playing, while adequate, was sometimes ragged in ensemble and lacking in verve.