MESSIAH tonight

We are all revved up to give a top-class performance tonight - do come along to the Dunedin Town Hall for the 7:30 pm performance of Handel's Messiah. That's it - today Tuesday 8 December!!!

Wendy Dawn Thompson, mezzo-soprano billed to sing with us tonight, has unfortunately caught the nasties and her throat is now so sore that she will not be able to sing tonight. This must be the worst nightmare for a soloist... all the preparation, travelling to the concert city, the anticipation of participation (doesn't that sound nice and corny?), feeling that you are letting down the team...

Genuinely, this must be a great disappointment for Wendy and it certainly is for us too. All we can do for Wendy is give her our best wishes for a speedy recovery.

We are delighted to announce that mezzo-soprano Kate Spence is available to take Wendy's place. We have sung with Kate before and know that this experienced and sweet-voiced soloist will do us proud tonight. Thank you Kate, for your willingness to perform on such short notice. We know that you can probably sing Messiah flawlessly in your sleep, so we are looking forward to hearing you tonight.

Messiah as Opera!

A hug-in on a lawn … The Hallejujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. Photograph: Tristram Kenton

This is the caption to this photo published in the UK's Guardian last weekend. It accompanies a review of Deborah Warner's English National Opera production of Messiah. A friend in London alerted me to it. The reviewer is not particularly enamoured of oratorio as opera, in general, and definitely not for Handel's masterpiece.

This is because says Tim Ashley, the reviewer, "the piece is ultimately about prophecy and revelation, and its message is embedded in a complex structure that is more literary than theatrical." This makes it almost impossible to stage as a dramatic opera. He explains how "Warner falls back on a series of images that show how Christian iconography and belief intersect with everyday life... [which] fails to reflect the mounting elation of Handel's score. The Hallelujah Chorus looks like a hug-in on a lawn." Ultimately, Ashley says "The work's greatness is never in doubt for a second, but its visual accompaniment is entirely unnecessary."

My friend wondered what next? Messiah on roller skates, perhaps!

Read the full review here. For my part I'm very glad we are performing the whole thing, no cuts, and it was intended - without visual distractions!

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City of Dunedin Choir presents Handel's Messiah
Tuesday 8 December 2009, 7:30pm
Dunedin Town Hall