SFS’s Memorable Account of Familiar Oratorio

The Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin, where Messiah was first performed (reproduced from the December 1903 issue The Musical Times, from Wikipedia, public domain)

Around this time every year, the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) celebrates the Christmas season with its annual program of George Frideric Handel’s HWV 56 oratorio Messiah. As always, the instrumentalists are joined by the SFS Chorus prepared by Chorus Director Ragnar Bohlin. The primary variation from one season to the next is found in the vocal soloists, frequently the conductor, and, more often, recently, sensitivity to the size of the instrumental ensemble. Last night Davies Symphony Hall provided the venue for the first of two scheduled performances of the music.

The vocal soloists were soprano Lauren Snouffer, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass Adam Lau. Of particular interest this year (at least to this writer) was that two of those soloists, Cohen and Lau, are alumni of the Merola Opera Program; and, as I had hoped, they both exhibited an undercurrent of dramatic understanding as a foundation for their delivery of the music itself. The string section was effectively limited to eight first violins (with Wyatt Underhill in the Concertmaster’s chair), six second violins, four violas, four cellos, and two basses. Bohlin himself was the conductor.

While many may still adhere to the moth-eaten tradition that a performance of Messiah should be one of prolonged solemnity; Bohlin’s leadership reflected the “new school” approach that favors the presentation of a stimulating listening experience. Working consistently with crisply defined tempos and a judicious approach to taking cuts, last night’s offering clocked in at about two hours and fifteen minutes without ever feeling rushed. Rather, it seemed as if the words (compiled from both Old Testament and New Testament by Charles Jennens) embodied a clearly-defined overall narrative, whose course could be followed easily by the attentive listener, even one with more secular attitudes.

Mind you, much of Handel’s counterpoint tends to impede the recognition of every word that is uttered. However, the composer had a command of both homophony and polyphony to give the text its due before launching into his many intricate developmental passages. On the solo side all four of the vocalists approached their work with impeccable diction. Lau stood out in particular with a delivery that reflected considerable opera experience. Nevertheless, the clarity of the solo vocal passages was consistently matched by clarity in the choral delivery (not to mention the dazzling solo trumpet work by Mark Inouye). This was a Messiah that was far more than mere seasonal tradition.