Artslandia at the Performance: Portland Playhouse Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 58

FEATURE

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW
When it burst onto Dublin stages in 1742, performances
of the Messiah were so popular that advertisements had
to be published in the newspapers requesting ladies to
come “without their hoops” [hoop-framed skirts] and
gentlemen “without their swords.”

King George II of England was reportedly so overcome by emotion
when he first heard the Hallelujah chorus that he spontaneously
rose to his feet — and when the King stands, everyone stands! This
incident supposedly started the tradition of standing up for the
Hallelujah chorus that has carried to this day.

In 1750, Handel started the tradition of using the
Messiah for charitable causes. In his time, he personally conducted more than 30 performances for
the benefit of a children’s orphanage and hospital,
as well as a fund for retired musicians.
WWW.ESPLANADE.COM

PORTLANDERS GET A
HANDEL ON THE MESSIAH
Oh, Handel, you had us at “Hallelujah!” George Frideric Handel’s Messiah
for chorus, soloists and orchestra was first performed in Dublin in 1742, and
in the intervening centuries, it’s become a popular offering in holiday concerts
all over the world. Even those unfamiliar with the whole piece or unaware of its
ecumenical intentions have probably heard the iconic Hallelujah chorus used to
express joy, relief or celebration.
This year, Portland residents have their choice of at least two versions: Portland
Baroque Orchestra’s historically faithful performance of the entire work and
Portland Chamber Orchestra’s pairing of the Christmas (Christ’s birth-related)
sections of Messiah with Handel’s 1746 oratorio Judas Maccabeus.
BY MATT SMITH. EDITED BY A.L. ADAMS.

As a gray winter
mist descends
on our city, will
Portlanders
really be singing
“Hallelujah?”
Maybe some other
Messiah lines can
better express the
next few months’
“PDXperience.”

HE SHALL FEED
HIS FLOCK
Portland is almost too well-known
for our foodie culture, and from
harvest to holidays, the culinary
elite are bound to eat up Handel’s
aria for soprano ... perhaps with
a rack of grass-fed lamb, served
rare, washed down with an Oregon
pinot noir?

50

THE PEOPLE THAT
WALKED IN DARKNESS
Starting around Labor Day, Portland residents begin complaining
about the lengthening nights, and
by December, 8:00 a.m. sunrises
and 4:30 p.m. sunsets begin to
take their toll. A bass soloist aptly
describes our fate, in tones as low
as the cloud cover. Time for a
winter break in Mexico to salve our
seasonal affective disorder.

HIS YOKE IS EASY AND
HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT
If you ask IFC satire Portlandia
(Actually, did we?), “Portland is
where young people go to retire.”
Our underemployed brothers and
sisters might still take comfort in
this chorus, perhaps whistling the
lilting melody as they drop off their
resumés at the local café.

ARTSLANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER

AND HE SHALL PURIFY
For many Portlanders, purity is
an obsession. Whenever possible,
we prefer to eat organic, shop fair
trade, protect our air and water.
Around the new year, this quest
will intensify, with many attempting to “cleanse” their lifestyles after
holiday indulgence. This adamant
chorus should strengthen our
resolve to gulp down that cayenne
and lemon.

EV’RY VALLEY SHALL
BE EXALTED
As the days begin to lengthen and
warm this spring, Portlanders
dance between the raindrops to
hit the trails on foot or by bicycle.
After a thigh-burning trek up Dog
Mountain, this sprightly tenor
aria near the start of Messiah feels
most apt — especially the parts
about making mountains low and
crooked ways straight.

O THOU THAT
TELLEST GOOD TIDINGS
By spring, Artslandia’s performing
arts friends will be dreaming of
a well-earned breather, but not
before they sing soprano to spread
the word about their next season.

HALLELUJAH!
Hey, eventually we’ll all get
around to rejoicing. By May or
June, Portland will return to full
bloom, bright sunshine, languid
patio hangouts, outdoor movie
screenings and Shakespeare plays.
Between now and then, we’ll
(ahem) Handel wha