A note to George and Frédéric....

George, I’m really sorry. I try, I really do. I’m sure it’s just me. Every year around the holidays, musical groups fall all over themselves to perform your “Messiah”, and people flock to hear it. It’s sort of a holy grail (ha ha). And, almost every year, I think: “well, maybe this year I will like it”. And, I go, but I don’t. I’m sorry. I do enjoy the Hallelujah Chorus, that’s pretty stirring, but it also means that it’s almost over. Hallelujah! And the part that starts “For unto us a child is born…and his name shall be…”, that one. Usually accompanied by timpanies and that is fun. But beyond that it drives me nuts. I suppose I’m this way because I’m an engineer (or is it I’m an engineer because I’m this way?). If you want to pass information or quote scripture, just do it.

Here’s an example: The words of one of the (shorter) "Airs" for the bass singer were printed in the program:

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined (Isaiah 9 :2)”.

That takes about six seconds to read, and maybe just a little longer if sung straight through. Fine. But no, you have turned those six seconds of information into maybe four or five minutes of vocalization. This isn’t accurate because I don’t know the score (ha ha), but it was performed sort of along the lines of:

The people that Walk-Ed in darkness
Walk-Ed in Darkness
Darkness
The people that Walk-Ed
In Darkness
Have seen
The people that Walk-Ed in darkness have seen a great light
A great light
Seen a great light.
Walk-Ed in Darkness have seen a great light.
And they that dwell in the land
Dwell in the land of the shadow
Shadow
Land of the shadow of death
Upon them hath
Dwell in the land of the shadow of death….

Well, you get the idea. I got it the first time. And, each word is sung slowly (and very nicely) with plenty of inflections. You can imagine what an Air takes that is maybe three times that amount of words.

C’mon already! Just sing it once and move on..This year’s opportunity for me to enjoy the Messiah was presented by the COSMIC Symphony, a wonderful local organization that provides opportunities for young musicians to play alongside of more accomplished and experienced performers. Their presentation was not even the whole work, sort of a “Cliff Notes” version. They are quite talented and led by a wonderful conductor, but I could only last until intermission and so I didn’t get to listen to the Sopranos. Darn. I’m sorry George, I know it’s an iconic work, it’s just not for me. I tried.

Ah, but Frédéric, I’m sure you, as did I, would have enjoyed listening to your works played yesterday by several Pianists from St. Mary’s College. They’re sort of celebrating your 200th birthday with several Chopin recitals and concerts of your music (with a few by your contemporary Mr. Schumann). Yesterday afternoon we assembled in good old “Room 25” of Montgomery Hall, sort of in the bowels of the “art” building. The concert was performed by several piano students along with “faculty” Beverly Babcock and Brian Ganz (the killer piano duo at the college). The pieces were grouped into “categories” like “Prelude to a Celebration, Childhood I, Study Period, Shall we Dance” with appropriate pieces in each. It was very interesting to me (am I and engineer because…) to listen to the “students” play and then hear the more experienced Brian and Beverly. They were all good, but some of the students seemed (to me) to just “play the notes” and survive(my approach to guitar playing), but when say Brian played, the music just left the keyboard and floated to you in the air. I’m sure you would have loved to hear him play your delightful little “Prelude in A, Op. 28, No. 7”.

The concert was broken into two parts, the “youth” sort of stuff at four o'clock, and then after a dinner break was to reconvene with the more mature parts of your life. Unfortunately I could only join the youthful part of the concert, and so begrudgingly had to miss a performance of Jonah Yeh, a very talented “youngster” who fits in piano when he’s not playing ball..

And it is such a treat to hear live music played by talented people. Go to a COSMIC Concert, and if you have not, you MUST hear Brian Ganz, even if you don’t particularly care for classical piano. He just might convert you, and you never know when somebody may make him an offer he can’t refuse..

George, again apologies for me, but rest assured there are a whole lot of people who enjoy the Messiah, and maybe by next year, I’ll give it another go…maybe not.

And, unlike some of the attendees for the Chopin event, ahem, I WAS

DFM

PS there is another Ganz "Studio Recital" tomorrow night (14th) at 5:00 in the friendly confines of St. Mary’s Hall. Unfortunately (I use that word a lot, don’t I?) a meeting of a local civic organization will prevent me from attending.. Go for me!!