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The National Chorale of Jamaica (NCOJ) will be performing the Messiah, Part 1 by George Frideric Handel as well as selected Christmas Carols, on Sunday, December 1 at the UWI Chapel, Mona, starting at 6 p.m.
Winston Ewart, NCOJ director, said the chorale was pleased to present what is arguably the most widely performed of musical masterpieces. Greeted by a storm of protest from local clergy when first performed, Messiah is a staple of the holiday season, both within and outside of church settings, even though only a small portion of the work addresses the nativity.
The piece is also described as a musical feast of Jesus Christ’s nativity, passion, resurrection and ascension into heaven.
Handel’s most notable work, Messiah was composed in 1741, and first performed in April of the following year. Part of what led to its creation was the competition that Handel faced from a composer known as John Gay. Gay wrote and composed The Beggar’s Opera, which was informally coined an “anti-opera” owing to its largely comedic nature. While taken aback by the work of Gay, Handel was also inspired to create something entirely new perhaps, the most famous portion of the piece may be the Hallelujah Chorus.
Chairman of the Chorale, Christopher Samuda, in commenting on the upcoming production, said: “In delivering Handel’s Messiah, the Chorale will reinforce to a physical and virtual audience, the purity and beauty of voices, the spirituality of humanity, and the mortality yet immortality of the Son of Man and God.”
The NCOJ was founded in 1972, with the aim of presenting programmes which include the widest variety of music which has found a place in the musical literature of the country over the years, and also promoting the development of young musicians, through their inclusion in concerts and by the provision of scholarships.
The chorale has been the recipient of many awards, including the Jamaica Music Industry awards, and has performed extensively across the Caribbean and internationally.
English (US) ·