Comments (0) Best Reason to Get Excited for Handel's Messiah Five Months Early - 2009
Tudor Choir
In Seattle, most people associate epic compositions like Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," and Handel's Messiah—with its booming "Hallelujah" chorus—with Benaroya Hall and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. And sure, when performed by more than 100 voices and an enormous orchestra, these pieces can blow your mind. But Handel's opus, for one, didn't start out being performed by casts of thousands in vast concert halls, but by a handful of musicians on less than a dozen instruments backed by the tinny-sounding harpsichord. Performing with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra at Town Hall, the Tudor Choir, under the direction of Doug Fullington, is better able to capture the intricacies of the work, but doesn't shy away from making that chorus a heart-pounder either. The group's other performances throughout the year are well worth it if you're an early-music aficionado. —Laura Onstot
