Messiah 2008
Written by Michael Dervan
15.12.08 Resurgam, IBO/Cooper
St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Handel - Messiah.
The big, re-orchestrated Messiahs of yesteryear are gone, apart from those documented in recordings. But few Christmas-time performances in Ireland of Handel's oratorio are as spartan as this one by the Resurgam Choir and the Irish Baroque Orchestra (IBO) under Gary Cooper.
The choir numbered just 20 voices. The orchestra came to 19 players if you include Cooper himself on continuo harpsichord. And there were no oboes or bassoons. But from my seat near the front of the cathedral, there was no lack of impact. Everything came across with the unspoiled clarity that is to be heard on CD more than in the concert hall.
The easy directness that Cooper sought was obvious from the relaxed opening. This was a performance that, however fleet it became, only felt driven at moments of high drama.
The bass, Matthew Brook (standing in for the indisposed Martin Robson), was the soloist who communicated the strongest sense of engagement with the words. Tenor James Oxley was consistently commanding and true, and counter-tenor Christopher Ainslie sang with an affecting directness that was completely devoid of the many mannerisms that counter-tenors are prone to. Soprano Katherine Manley made a lovely sound, but indulged in some vocal gestures appropriate to later musical styles in a way that made her stand out from her colleagues. With Resurgam in as lithe and responsive a mode as I've ever heard them, and the players of the IBO also on top form, this Messiah was a treat from start to finish.
