Messiah 2013
For the 29th year, the Community Messiah Chorus, a 90-member chorus made up of parishioners from 35 local churches, will present a free concert of Handel’s Messiah. The concert will take place at Wesley United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 6th at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 7th at 7:00 p.m. An 11-piece orchestral ensemble will accompany the choir and soloists under the direction of Christopher Goodson, Director of Music Ministries at Wesley.
Composed in the Baroque period (1685-1750) and first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742 as an Easter celebration, George Frederic Handel’s Messiah, written by librettist Charles Jennens, is a commentary and reflection on Christ’s Nativity, Passion, Resurrection, Ascension and Glorification in Heaven. The music is in an oratorio style, a large musical composition that is strictly a concert piece and not theatrical, with little interaction between characters and using no props or costumes. Oratorios were originally intended to educate people about important parts of the Bible. The famous “Hallelujah Chorus” is drawn from the Book of Revelation and speaks of Christ having put down all earthly rule, authority, and power while He Himself reigns as King on earth. The performance of Part One, which focuses on the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming and Christ’s birth, has become a Christmas tradition.
Jan Harper and Barbara Meadows first brought The Messiah to the Golden Isles in 1984 when they conceived the idea of giving it as a “Christmas gift to the community.” The first concerts were held at the St. Simons United Methodist Church and were so successful that they invited other community singers to join in the following years. Meadows served as director and Harper continued to play the organ for those 25 years before they both retired in 2009. In 2013, Harper lost her battle with cancer, and the chorus dedicated the December 2013 concert to her memory.
Christopher Goodson began directing the Messiah three years ago when he added the Magnolia String Quartet. In 2013, to achieve a more accurate original orchestration, he added a pair of oboes and a bassoon. Of this season’s concert, Goodson says, “In 2014, we will explore new facets of the energy behind this music as we re-envision some of the accepted tempi—for example, the overture is often played much too slow. This year promises to bring a new experience with an old friend.”
The Chorus is especially grateful to its major underwriter, Hall Booth Smith, P.C., and longtime sponsors h2o creative group, St. Simons Bank and Trust, Coastal Bank of Georgia, and Episcopal Church Women of Christ Church, Frederica, who, along with many individual donors, allow the Chorus to continue to give Messiah as a Christmas gift to the community. Celebrate the season with this wonderful Golden Isles tradition.
