We mostly hear The Messiah at Christmas tide which is a bit strange since it was originally performed at Easter tide. Easter calls for music that reflects the triumph of the occasion, and Handel delivered that in spades. Best known to most is the Hallelujah Chorus, and while it's probably not true that His late Majesty George II stood due to its grandeur, grandeur it has nonetheless.
My favorite from the oratorio was the Easter offering here a couple years back, Worthy Is The Lamb. I guess that this is third string, but c'mon - it's The Messiah. There is no third string here.
Great class - I didn't know about Samuel Ramey at all , and didn't know about the connection of The Messiah to Easter. (That is, Handel's The Messiah)
ReplyDeleteThe juxtaposition of the previous post featuring Justin Bieber and this featuring Handel has my head spinning though.
I just watched Sam Ramey do "The Impossible Dream" on Youtube. Wow.
Singing in my town's production of it this afternoon--wish me luck! It's a great piece of music to perform in.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful piece of music. With no family nearby an going on call tonight, it will be a good ay to listen to much music.
ReplyDeleteLibertyman, I think that the big difference between Beiber and Ramey isn't that Ramey hitches his britches all the way up, but it starts there.
ReplyDeletedeadmandance, I hope that you enjoy the day. The ending "Amen" would make the hair on my head stand up, back when I had it. I hope it does that for you, too.
Brigid, happy Easter.