Hi folks,
I just came home from the final concert of the
Handel Festival.
The concert was open air, and there was a short and light rain shower
before the show. It ended right on time, and the rest of the evening remained dry.
It was a great concert, really. Lots of Händel, very well played by the festival orchestra of the Staatskapelle Halle, several choirs (with 300 singers altogether) and mezzosoprano Jennifer Larmore from the USA.
Yes, there were some minor flaws: Cellphone-radiation made an audible disturbance in the sound system. The setli..., I mean the programme was in the wrong order so I had a little trouble with naming each piece. I disliked the moderator who kept talking of a journey of Handel, the European, without making clear how this concept is reflected in the programme. And I didn't like the way they rushed through "La Rejouissance" as a march.
There was a flaw of mine as well: I mistook the Concerto D-Dur HWV 335a for a variation over the ouverture of "Music For the Royal Fireworks". My bad.
Now I need to get a recording of that concerto and do some research about it - I can't believe that this similarity is concidental.
But apart from that it was fantastic. Clouds were processing above us in just the right pace for a menuet. The soloist was an amazing sigh..., I mean, singer. Her "Ombra Mai Fu" was tender, emotional, but nowhere near kitsch. Her "Where Shall I Fly" was dramatic. In "Dopo Notte, Atra e Funesta" she was almost bursting with joyful energy, often sounding like giggling and laughing. All in all she had a great presence and was reflecting the emotions of the music in her looks and gestures as well. The "Halleluja" was simply brillant; I can hardly see how it could have sounded better. And the "Music For the Royal Fireworks" - apart from the crime mentioned above - was brillant, too. So were the fireworks that went with it - a bit short perhaps, as there were fireworks only during the ouverture and the final - but really amazing, with very beautiful and astounding effects.
So it was a wonderful evening, spent with my dad, btw. And now I'm off to bed!
Cheers!
Markus
