I had thought that blogs on the choreographed
Messiah were finished, but an MCE member who attended one of the performances sent me this
thoughtful write up of her reactions and observations, and I am delighted to
post it to the blog.
Dr. Linda Gingrich
Artistic Director and Conductor
Master Chorus Eastside
I went to see opening night of the Messiah Ballet with a friend.
I was happy to be in the front seat once I got there; I had hesitated to buy
that seat since in some theaters, front row means you sit too low to see the
dancers feet. But that was not the case at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue;
front row proved to be perfect for my nearsighted eyes and allowed me to
feel closer to my singer friends from Master Chorus Eastside.
I
was excited when the curtain opened. There were about 20 of our MCE group in
the Messiah chorus, wearing white and beige, most barefooted or in stockinged
feet (I assumed to minimize noisy entrances and exits.) I knew that
several of the chorus members, while rehearsing for this show, also rehearsed
with the full MCE group and performed the MCE Christmas concerts in addition to
doing this show. That is certainly a challenge, and I know their lives must
have felt musically full to overflowing during the last few months, Linda
Gingrich's included.
Judging
by the post-show reactions of audience members, including my friend and me, the
performers' efforts truly paid off. The dancers were very energetic and made
their dances look almost effortless, which I think only good dancers can do.
The music was excellent; symphony, chorus and soloists led by Linda, all were
full of good energy and well-articulated sound.
It
was especially interesting to see the ballet dancers interpret this story of
Christ, a brilliant idea and one that seems overdue. There was some
unusual and captivating choreography to keep our attention. I loved that during The people that walked in darkness, Isaiah 9:3, (Matthew 3:16) which says "The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of
death, upon them hath the light shined", the dancers were sometimes on
their backs in the darkness, their toe shoes pointed and lit up with the
stage lights, crossing and uncrossing in the air. It was a wonderful effect.
I
loved seeing our MCE members interspersed with the dancers, surrounded by their
swirling energy; I realized that my brain was perceiving the singers as dancers
as well. When I zeroed in my attention on any particular singer, I received
that person's expression of the music as their 'musical dance'.
It was surprising to me that the audience was so moved and
rose on their feet during the Hallelujah chorus, and a big smile came to my
face. I later learned from Linda at an MCE rehearsal that this is a tradition,
and she mentioned possible reasons why it started. I looked this up on www.funtrivia.com,
and found the following:
"Upon hearing the 'Hallelujah Chorus' movement of Messiah, King George
II of England was reputedly so overcome with emotion that he spontaneously rose
to his feet. When the king stands, everyone stands, so the audience immediately
rose also. The tradition of standing for the chorus is still observed today in
most live performances of Messiah."
As a singer, I found it impossible not to sing along during this
movement. Luckily no one around me seemed to mind.
I sincerely hope that the combined efforts of the Sammamish
Symphony, Bellevue Ballet and Master Chorus Eastside will be enjoyed in future
performances of Handel's Messiah. This would be a wonderful tradition to
establish. It was the perfect ending to the Christmas season for me, and the
perfect prelude to a new year.
Lisa Knopp
Alto, Master Chorus Eastside
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