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