Handel's 'Messiah'

Hi,

I just got back from the Esplanade, where the concert, Messiah, was held. The Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallelujah Oratorio Society and the Singapore Bible College Choir came together to make music. The soli were soprano Fu Shang Chen, alto Anna Koor, tenor Ndaru Darsono and bass, Eng Meng Chia.

On the whole, the concert was good. Good in the sense that it enhances aesthetic appreciation for music-making, or 'musicking', as Mr Sum put it. I was reminded that word-painting is very important in order to effectively convey a message. Same goes for crisp pronunciation, exemplified by Darsono, and body language, best done by Fu. And the way the string players moved and played taught me that I still have a long way to go to play the violin decently. There comes a stage where musicking is beyond technicality, and generates from the mind and the heart.

Darsono sounded very much like a Filipino singer and possesses a distinctive tone that is powerful. I figured out that he did not use vibrato liberally as conventional opera singers do, but used the energy to pronounce the words more clearly. This means singing the spoken consonants, such as l to luh and n to nuh, and articulating those that are unsung, such as s, f, th, with extra effort.

And yay! Another concert coming up tomorrow night. It will be THREE by the SYC Ensemble Singers, Gaia Philharmonic Choir and Ateneo Chamber Singers, a transnational concert to celebrate the International Day of Choral Singing on December 10. Looking forward to it too. What a music-filled, arty-farty month!