HANDEL’S “MESSIAH.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19969, 10 December 1926, Page 3

HANDEL’S “MESSIAH.”

THE SOPRANO SOLOS. The soprano soloist is not heard in the “Messiah” till alter tho “Pastoral Symphony” is played. In it the birth of Christ is not described, but tho audience is taken to the fields—the abode of the shepherds by night, and where the angelic communication can be heard. the lovely pastoral symphony paints the tranquil scene in colours noble and delicate, 'ihe entry oi the soprano voice in tho recitatives, “Iherc Were Shepherds,” “And lo’ tho Angei of the Lord," “And the Angel Said unto Them; and “Suddenly There was With the Angels;” strikes on tito oar with a clarion note of exultation, and through the chain of recitatives that follow, tho excitement grows with each bar until tho angelic choir bursts in with its jubilant cry of “Glory to God.” The glitter and sparkle of this chorus is astonishing. The pleasing soprano solo “Rejoice Greatly, 0 Daughter of Sion” is a tine example ot legitimate coloratura, in which the severe loveliness of tho passages, “He Speak Peace” forms a period contrast. Ihe air “How Beautiful Are the Feet” is one of the most beautiful and simple numbers in tho oratorio. Following the “Hallclujan Chorus” a marvellous effect .of contrast is gained by tho austere simplicity of “1 Know That My Redeemer Liveth,” in which the chaste purity of tho soprano voice suggests a cry of faith and hope rising from a world of doubt and darkness. This air is ono of Handel’s profoundcst inspirations. These solos, part of the production Handel’s “Messiah,” which is to be the given by the Dunedin Choral Society in His Majesty’s Theatre on Monday and Tuesday next, will be sung by Madam Winnie Fraser.