Handel's “Messiah,” May 1

Sunday, May 1, 3 p.m.

Augustana College's Centennial Hall, 3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL

For the first time in years, local audiences will again be treated to one of the most awe-inspiring compositions in music history when the Augustana College Department of Music presents its May 1 concert event Handel's Messiah, with the legendary classical piece performed in Centennial Hall by the Augustana Oratorio Society and featured soloists Joseph Barron, Jesse Darden, Kelly Hill, and Emily Truckenbrod.

An English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, the text for Messiah was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin, Ireland, on April 13, 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.

Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, had been established through his compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public taste; Messiah was his sixth work in this genre. Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's text is an extended reflection on Jesus as the Messiah called Christ. The text begins in Part I with prophecies by Isaiah and others, and moves to the annunciation to the shepherds – the only "scene" in the piece taken from the Gospels. In Part II, Handel concentrates on the Passion of Jesus and ends with the famed Hallelujah chorus. And in Part III, the composer covers the resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in Heaven.

Handel wrote Messiah for modest vocal and instrumental forces, with optional settings for many of the individual numbers. In the years after his death, the work was adapted for performance on a much larger scale, with giant orchestras and choirs. In other efforts to update it, its orchestration was revised and amplified, such as Mozart's Der Messias. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the trend has been toward reproducing a greater fidelity to Handel's original intentions, although "big Messiah" productions continue to be mounted. A near-complete version was issued on 78 rpm discs in 1928, and since then, the work has been recorded countless times over.

The May 1 performance will be conducted by Dr. Jon Hurty, Augustana College's Director of Choral Activities, and performed by the Augustana Oratorio Society. Formed in 1880 and currently consisting of community members, Augustana students, and members of the Augustana Choir, the ensemble has been celebrated for exploring the riches of choral-orchestral literature, and Hurty said, "I am excited to bring Messiah back to the community. Because it has not been performed by our current students, it has been a real joy to introduce them to this magnificent work."

Handel's Messiah will be performed in Augustana College's Centennial Hall on May 1, admission to the 3 p.m. concert event is $21, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 and visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.