Hallelujah and Amen!

I just finished listening to the recording of the Messiah performance we did this past Sunday.  When you are conducting, and probably singing and playing, you certainly get a rush of emotion during the performance.  As I have said many times, live music is always best!  Rarely do you still feel that rush of emotion when you return to listen to a recording. This time, however, it was there.

The orchestra played with impeccable intonation, great skill, and intense emotion, and the soloists were amazing.  What one might not expect would be for the chorus, since it is made up of mostly amateur singers (although we did have a few pros in there), to be so powerful, skillful and musical. For those of you who volunteered to sing in the chorus, I say a huge thank you and congratulations!  I honestly have recordings I wouldn’t trade for the performance we gave. We worked for five weeks on the choruses and were able to accomplish some very finite details and musical nuances that many choruses would never attain.  The incredibly gratifying thing is that most of these can be heard in the recording.

I tell my First U.M. Senior Choir that the details are what make the difference between an inspiring performance and one that is just “ho-hum.”  A listening audience may not know why they were inspired or not, but they do definitely know when they are or aren’t.  I felt the energy and emotion coming from the audience, even with my back to them the entire time.  I thank the chorus members for allowing us to accomplish just that- an inspiring performance.  It was their hard work, dedication and trust in my rehearsal technique that pulled it off.  Prayer always helps too!

It has been a busy musical holiday season in Van Wert with all the Niswonger performances to go with the many school concerts, church programs and other community events.  There is one more final Christmas concert that I think will be a beautiful culmination of the five holiday shows we have presented at the Niswonger.  A Solid Gold Christmas, starring Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. is this Friday at 7:30 p.m.  A friend of mine who saw this concert last year in Pennsylvania said it was wonderful.  So, if you would like one more holiday concert to move you into the final week of Christmas, this is it.  Get your tickets now or at the door.

After the Solid Gold Christmas concert, it is then time to be thinking of that special night, Christmas Eve.  I know it is a special night in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Van Wert as the Senior Choir leads the masses in a candlelight service of lessons & carols.  I would invite anyone looking for a place to bring in the Christ child on Christmas Eve to come to this special service with beautiful prelude music starting at 10:30 p.m., which precedes the lessons and carols at 11 p.m.

I know there are other churches in our community that also do beautiful services on Christmas Eve.  Check your local listings and don’t miss out on a chance to put the true meaning of Christmas into your holiday season this year.

For me, this year, the Great Amen Chorus and the Hallelujah! Chorus of Handel’s Messiah said it all.  Amen and Hallelujah!

FINE