Originally posted by duncan
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Prom 65: Choral Day (III) - Handel / Mozart: Messiah, ASMF, J. Butt
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Originally posted by Maclintick View PostMrs M and yours truly were in that 2017 Sing-Along-A-Butty of the St John Passion, but sadly were unable to attend for this year's Messiah. It did sound splendid on the radio, though, and I'm not surprised that Oddoneout & others who participated in the communal singing found it very moving. John Butt is a true national treasure
It did cross my mind last night that the concert could be described as "HIP, but not as you know it!" as it went in the other direction from the pared down productions that HIP often conjures up, but the augmented orchestra is courtesy of Mr Mozart, rather than a modern take on the original. The choral forces used this time are presumably more questionable in terms of historical accuracy?
Just found this, from someone who wasn't too keen years ago
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Originally posted by oddoneout View PostThe choral forces used this time are presumably more questionable in terms of historical accuracy?
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Originally posted by Historian View Post
How far back do you want to go? I was surprised to find some years ago that large-scale performances of Messiah began in the mid 1780s under the patronage of George III. The Wikipedia article on Messiah mentions that Mozart first heard it at Mannheim in1777, so with a smaller chorus.
The choruses are mostly effectively sung by Rilling's Stuttgart Gachinger Kantorei consisting of some 50 or so voices—Mozart is believed to have had no more than 12 singers in his choir—and the orchestral playing is polished and alert.
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Originally posted by oddoneout View Post
I was thinking just in terms of what Mozart would have expected/intended, rather than what happened subsequently. This is from a Gramophone review of a recording
Having said that I don't know what version was used for the Prom concert - the degree of HIPness if you will, how close to the original in date and score terms.
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One of Mozart’s amendments to the score was omitted in this performance. Mozart turned “Why do the Nations” into a Da Capo aria. Having heard it done in this way, I think it works well, and I wonder whether Handel might have intended it to be done in this way, but missed off the D.C. marking on the score.
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