Handel and Bach together – A Christmas Pageant for the Time of a Pandemic
(or: “A monster mashup for the season”)
The first thing we need to say is that, if you want to listen to Handel’s Messiah or J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio this season, this “mashup” probably isn’t for you (but we figure you already have your favorite performances of these cued up on whatever device you use to listen to music).
So, then, what should you expect in our mashup”? Our “re-imagining” of Messiah and the Christmas Oratorio is built on a couple of key ideas:
- In the years before the early music revival took hold and pushed most groups to follow original scoring, a common tradition in churches across the United States was to present choral masterworks of the 18th and 19th centuries with “reduced” forces, such as organ (only) accompaniment or organ with small ensembles. That approach works beautifully in this time of social distancing and restrictions around the number of people allowed in a building at one time. Additionally, these works most often were presented in English to allow congregations easy access the text – thus emphasizing liturgical use over pure musical performance.
- That same idea was important in the presentations of Nativity pageants. A popular way to celebrate Christmas in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Nativity play or Christmas pageant revolved around a series of real-life “tableaux,” often acted by members of the community, depicting key scenes relating to the biblical stories. These were usually accompanied by popular musical selections of the season. Thus, in this presentation, we’ve organized our music to highlight similar scenes: The Prophecies of Isaiah, the Nativity, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, and Christ as Healer and Redeemer. The “playlist” from both Messiah and The Christmas Oratorio has been carefully selected to highlight the arc of the Christmas narrative, with some additional musical commentary on the action.
- And, finally (but, perhaps most important) St. Anne’s is such a wonderful space for singing and playing that the building becomes a key part of the performance. We wanted to take advantage of the loft, the sanctuary and the nave as part of this effort. And this also allowed us to safely include a vocal consort (soloists), a small number of instrumentalists, our tech team and Annapolis Chamber Chorus members (who you will see singing outside in Church Circle).
The result is a fresh, live performance. With minimal editing (mostly reserved for layering of tracks that had to be recorded separately due to social distancing) this is no studio recording. We are thrilled to have been able to rehearse and perform this gorgeous music and we hope that it helps you enjoy this unusual Christmas season by joining us, even if virtually.
Scene 1: The Prophecies of Isaiah
Scene 2: The Nativity
Scene 3: The Annunciation to the Shepherds
Scene 4: The Adoration of the Magi
Scene 5: Christ as Healer and Redeemer