Messiah remains by far Handel's most popular composition, especially during the run-up to Christmas. This would have perplexed Handel and his librettist Charles Jennens, who certainly intended it to be an Easter work. Indeed this was an "inauthentic" performance in a few insignificant ways. Parts one and two were given complete, but part three was heavily truncated. The Hallé choir numbered well over 100, while Handel would have considered anything substantially over 30 singers to be impressively large. And the chamber organ instead of the harpsichord was used to accompany the orchestra in arias such as He Was Despised and I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.
Perhaps the iconic stature of Messiah in modern times makes such issues irrelevant. Certainly none of these factors diminished the supreme quality of conductor Nicholas Kraemer's stylish vision of the oratorio. His direction was rhythmically sprightly, and his brisk pace brought out the dramatic nature of the music.
The finest element of this delightful Messiah was its four young and fresh soloists: soprano Carolyn Sampson, countertenor Robin Blaze, tenor James Gilchrist and bass Christopher Purves. Each possesses a marvellously clear voice, an obvious affection for Handel and an unquestionably thorough grounding in baroque style. Sampson was particularly outstanding for her compassionate delivery, gorgeous voice and ability to make Handel's taxing coloratura sound effortless. Her duet with Blaze, He Shall Feed His Flock, was sublime, and Blaze also shone in a sympathetic interpretation of He Was Despised. The only lacklustre aria was an abridged The Trumpet Shall Sound, largely due to the solo trumpeter tentatively playing down into his music stand.
Under Kraemer's specialist direction from the harpsichord, the trimmed-down Hallé adopted a convincing baroque style throughout the performance, demonstrating that minimal vibrato does not prohibit generous legato. Now that the orchestra has proved how well it can play baroque music, one sincerely hopes this fecundity will be demonstrated more often and in some more adventurous repertoire.
