Hallelujah!

This evening Joe and I went to see a performance of Handel's Messiah at Washington National Cathedral.

I love the Messiah. I love the recitatives, the arias, and especially all of the choruses. This particular rendition the oratorio was performed by the Combined Cathedral Choirs, which includes the Choir of Men and Boys and the Choir of Men and Girls, four soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone), and an orchestra comprising strings, winds, tympani, trumpet, organ, and harpsichord. The conductor was Michael McCarthy.

The performance occurred in the nave of the cathedral, with seating throughout the nave and in the balconies of the north and south transepts. We were sitting in the south transept, west, just to the side of one of the huge carved columns. We had a slightly obstructed view, but  hey -- there's no real need to see when the music and singing is this good. Besides, there were flat panel screens on every column showing the action, so we really didn't miss anything.

And oh, the music! The voices! Pure and beautiful, that's all. There was minimal amplification; yet the sound was rich and lush, filling the cathedral completely. I could even hear the harpsichord adding its spiky spice to the music, while the organ provided the fullness underneath the liquid strings. I love the trumpet parts -- one single trumpet added all the bright color necessary.

The voices were heavenly. The boys and girls had those angelic, high voices, supplemented by the lower, but still dreamy, adult tenors, baritones, and basses. It astounds me that children this young -- their ages range from 8 to 14 -- can sing so perfectly. The soloists were wonderful too; it was evident that they were passionate about the pieces they sang. It was fun to watch them on the screens because I could see their expressions up close and personal; see the emotion that I could hear in their voices. The tenor was especially powerful, the baritone deep and rich. The mezzo-soprano had an amazing range and tone, and the soprano's voice was aural crystal.

I have a favorite aria: He Shall Feed His Flock. The mezzo sang it simply and beautifully. I used to sing it to SonnyeBoy when he was a baby, so it always brings back memories of rocking him to sleep.

And, of course, I love the Hallelujah Chorus. It's majestic, a perfect combination of music and voice. Tonight it brought tears to my eyes.

Hallelujah!