On Friday night Michael Murphy, Director of Music at the Catholic parishes of Bondi, took on, with much enthusiasm, the mammoth task of conducting Handel’s Messiah, to the delight of an appreciative audience at St Anne’s Church.
The overall performance demonstrated reverence to the texts of the much-loved oratorio and a faithfulness to the Baroque spirit, particularly in the moments of sheer joy throughout Christ’s redemptive mission.
I was impressed with the standard of the choir which was a combination of choristers from the Bondi parishes, St Francis’ Paddington, and guest singers. The perfect balance of numbers in each voice type made for some invigorating moments of counterpoint, and hearing the voices arise out of each other, particularly in the chorus ‘All we like Sheep’, brought much delight to my classically-trained ears.
I much enjoyed the unity of tone in the soprano voices, an angelic timbre that aptly suited the chorus ‘And the glory, the glory of the Lord’, among others. The colours of the male voices also had many moments to shine, not least in the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus, which had everyone rising from their seats, in traditional fashion.
Each of the outstanding soloists brought their unique style of music-making to the religious texts, thus guiding the audience on an emotional and, hopefully healing, journey with Christ. An excellent story-teller, tenor Michael Handy’s beautiful phrasing and word painting in the aria ‘Every valley shall be exalted’ moved me very much.
The buoyancy of his voice and rich tone in the high registers drew out the meaning of the text to its full – I particularly enjoyed the way he used a different ‘colour’ each time he repeated the word ‘dash’ in the aria ‘He was cut off out of the land’’. Bass Benjamin Caukwell also brought the text to life through his clear diction and creative tone colours, qualities which especially shone in his final aria ‘The trumpet shall sound’, a performance of compelling and majestic flair. In the aria ‘The people that walked in darkness’ I relished the contrasting bright tone that he produced on the crucial word ‘light’.
Soprano Elizabeth Harper’s confident command of phrasing and well-placed high pitches suited the angelic nature of the arias portraying the birth of Christ. However it was in her final aria ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ that the full colour palette of her voice came to the fore – I was drawn into the pathos of the moment.
The mellow tones and polished legato in the voice of mezzo-soprano Rebecca O’Hanlon was the perfect pairing with the mournful texts of the alto arias. In the aria ‘He was despised’ she created an exceptional contrast between the initial sombre section of the aria and the middle dramatic section, a vivid musical portrayal of the intensity of Christ’s sufferings.
Much credit must be given to the Artes Christi Chamber Orchestra for achieving a fine balance with both the soloists and the choir, and bringing out both the instrumental and melodic textures of Handel’s Baroque style of composition.
Bravo to Concert Master Tess Duflou, who I imagine put much thought and effort into ensuring that the orchestra had a clear vision for the articulation and musical shaping of this epic work.
Finally, congratulations to Michael Murphy for bringing together and believing in these talented musicians, to create his vision for his first concert as Director of Music. I look forward to many more concerts to come!
Annabella Stephens is a Sydney-based pianist, musician and teacher and an Honours Graduate in Music from the University of Waikato (New Zealand).