A few years ago, a friend of mine took a sudden interest in opera and it drove everybody else nuts. Why? I'm not exactly sure. But one day someone asked me, "What is up with Jack and that opera stuff?"
And I answered him as honestly as I could. "Look, Jack bugs me every bit as much as the next guy. But in this case, I think his interest is genuine. I mean, Jack loves music -- all kinds. So it should come as no surprise that he would like opera, too."
That didn't seem to satisfy my friend.
Will it satisfy you? Because I, too, love music -- all kinds. Sure, I'm a rock 'n' roller at heart. After all, I'm a baby boomer and my first choice of music will always be rock -- from doo-wop all the way up to the present (with the exception of rap; sorry, it must be a generational thing). Jazz? Yeah, I like jazz (although I have to admit that most of it -- like Blues -- sounds the same to me). Folk? Absolutely! Country & Western? Now you're pushing it.
What about classical? I actually like art music (as it's more formally known), especially the earliest stuff, Baroque, and modern. Do I understand it? If you mean, can I read music or speak intelligently on the technical aspects, no. But do I like listening to it once in a while? Yes, I do.
And, in keeping with my theme (lots of themes lately) of going out on Friday nights while waiting for the high school football season to begin (in four short months), I went over to the Alice Millar Chapel on the campus of Northwestern University to listen to the Baroque Music Ensemble's production of Alexander's Feast, by George Frideric Handel.
It's a beautiful chapel, about twenty minutes from my house and parking is free. The tickets were six bucks (cheaper than a movie!) and I got a great seat up front. (And I fit right in with all my gray hair.)
As I sat down and opened the program I quickly figured out that there would be a lot of singing in this thing -- kind of like an opera. Wait a minute, is this an opera? Or is it a choral work? I'm still not sure; but there was a lot of singing.
The second thing I noticed was that the work was based on a poem by John Dryden. Wasn't he a Brit? And why is Handel's name spelled that way? I thought he was a kraut? Is this thing in English?
It was. (Turns out I was half-right: Handel was born Georg Friedrich Handel in Germany and moved to London when he was 27.)
The composer wrote Alexander's Feast in 1736, when he was 51. The work consists of two parts divided into 21 and 11 movements, respectively. The Northwestern kids were great, especially soloist Alison Wahl and trumpeter Ansel Norris. (I kept wondering if he'd ever played any of the Brandenburg concertos.)
But my favorite part was right before intermission when the chorus sang The many rend the skies with loud applause. (That's the video above. And while those aren't the kids I saw, it should give you a good feel for the piece. I also chose it because the conductor reminded me a little of Mr. Pitt, below.)
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