{TABLE} Messiah (1742) ....... Handel {/TABLE} THE three day Dublin International Handel Fest began yesterday. The evening's concert was a performance of Messiah, in the version presented for its premiere in 1742, in Dublin.
The venue was the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Francis Street, just a few hundred yards from Fishamble Street, where that first performance took place. In its forces too, this concert sought to get close to that premiere there were eight soloists, and the small orchestra, led by Therese Timoney, accompanied a 33 strong, all male choir, comprising the 19 boys of the Palestrina Choir plus 14 men from Our Lady's Choral Society.
Messiah's choruses are a tough proposition for a boys choir, and for much of the concert the pressure was evident. The fast speeds adopted by conductor Proinnsias O Duinn did not help. That said, the whole choir sang some choruses confidently and reasonably accurately, including the very difficult Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder.
It was a pity that the orchestral playing was occasionally scrappy, for the general tone was clean and fresh, and there was plenty of rhythmic bite.
The soloists were Franzita Whelan and Colette Delahunt (sopranos), Margaret Killian (mezzo soprano), Paul Esswood and Charles Humphries (counter tenors), and Anthony Norton, Damien Smith and Alan Maree (respectively tenor, baritone and bass).
They were a very inconsistent group many arias were marred by technical weakness, or by straightforward mistakes (some of them serious), or by interpretative misjudgements. In his one big solo, O Thou That Tellest, Paul Esswood was in a class on his own, with Charles Humphries close behind.
Among the women, Franzita Whelan had the most classy sound. But in all other respects, Margaret Killian was well ahead of everyone other than the counter tenors. Her diction and timing were impeccable. She made text, melody and rhythm seem interdependent. Her He Was Despised and, above all, He Shall Feed His Flock, were the highlights of the evening.