Easter in December: Concert Review

By Bryce Christensen

“Christmas,” as Duke professor C. Kavin Rowe remarks, “. . . requires Easter. . . . Easter--the resurrection--is why Christmas is Christmas.”  And no celebration of Christmas more compellingly links these two holidays—these two holy days—than does the marvel that is Handel’s Messiah.  On December 9^th and 10^th, the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) and the Orchestra of Southern Utah Chorale renewed the profound linkage between the two holidays with masterful performances of Handel’s masterpiece, the apt theme “A Magnificent Story” pointing concert-goers to a sacred scriptural story beginning in a stable in Bethlehem and ending—no, not ending­—in a tomb outside Jerusalem.

In his welcoming remarks, OSU President Harold Shirley invited those in attendance to join in recognizing the more-than-human significance of the celebratory performances as “our gift to the King.”  Repeatedly, the wonderful music that followed indeed strengthened faith in the Heavenly King who, as the Christmas babe, lay sleeping in a manger crib, but who, as the Easter Lord, rose triumphant from his sepulchral bed.  How fitting that this concert dedicated to the memory of two former OSU violinists, Judith Spender Larsen and Mary MacDonald, should stir supernal hope of redemption from death!

From the majestic opening strains of the “Overture,” to the overwhelming Amens of the final Chorus, “Worthy Is the Lamb That Was Slain,” two hundred chorale and orchestra musicians carried listeners along this inspiring journey from Christmas to Easter, filling the hearts of all in attendance with a double measure of  holiday spirit.

OSU director Xun Sun deserves high praise for so superbly preparing the 64 musicians under his baton to deliver almost two hours of exquisite music, thrillingly rendered.  A positively ecstatic presence on the director’s podium, Sun signaled by his impassioned gestures his own complete investment in the music he was leading. Though entirely instrumental at some points—most notably, in the “Overture” and the “Pastoral Symphony”--that music served as complement and accompaniment most of the evening to the splendid vocal music of the chorale.  And though she was less visible than Maestro Sun, Chorale director Jackie Riddle-Jackson merits no less favorable recognition, particularly for her labors in selecting fifteen soloists and then assigning the two dozen recitatives and airs so that all shone with impressive brilliance in their performance.

With the poise of a singer well seasoned as a Messiah soloist, tenor Lawrence Johnson began the evening’s solos by delivering “Comfort Ye My People” with moving emotion, before rendering “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” with the exalted sense of a prophetic visionary.  Likewise familiar to Cedar City audiences as a Messiah  soloist, baritone Alex Byers conveyed a sense of unshakeable conviction from the very first note of “Thus Saith the Lord,” before his powerful voice articulated searching questions in “But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming?” calling mortals to the deep self-scrutiny.

Her voice tremulous with expectation, mezzo soprano Valerie Wainwright revisited messianic hopes in “Behold! A Virgin Shall Conceive,” before seamlessly segueing into the joyous imperatives of “O Thou That Tellest.”  With something of the seraphic in her own beautiful soprano voice, Jessie Byers carried listeners to a scene of angelic choirs with “There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Field,” “And the Angel Said Unto Them,” and “And Suddenly There Was With the Angel.”

In measures electric with celestial rapture, soprano Marla McMaster sang “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion,” after which soprano Jaclyn Thompson infected her listeners with human astonishment at divine miracles in “Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be Opened.”

In a voice evocative of supernal watchcare, soprano Ashlee Lieske sang “He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shepherd,” her notes tenderly poignant.  And in soprano Kristina Maggio’s “Come Unto Me,” listeners heard the plangent pleading of an infinitely loving Lord.

Plaintive and  redolent with pathos, alto Sandy Hedgecock’s “He Was Despised” marked a moment of singular poignancy in the performance.  Likewise heart-piercing was Jaclyn Thompson’s “He Was Cut Off,” a penetrating soprano solo all the more remarkable coming from a singer who would later demonstrate her exceptional range by singing “Then Shall Be Brought to Pass” as an alto.  

Listeners glimpsed the darkest spiritual threats but found ultimate reassurance in alto Emily Diamond’s “But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul.”  And with the soaring notes of the very gifted soprano Terry Metcalf-Peterson’s “Thou Art Gone Up on High,” listeners climbed to blessed realms, there experiencing immense thankfulness for the bounty of a triumphant Lord.  

But the full Easter import of this unforgettable Christmas celebration rang out in soprano Jasmine Hailstone’s “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.”  Endowing Job’s ancient prophecy with all the effulgent meaning of its fulfillment through Christ, Hailstone made her song a vibrant testimony of essential Christian belief.  

Forcefully amplifying that testimony, bass Curtis Chamberlin sang “Behold, I Tell You A Mystery” before trumpeter Richard McMaster joined in “The Trumpet Shall Sound” in a dazzling duet of human and instrumental soloists, Chamberlin’s rich bass voice plumbing the depths and McMaster’s radiant brass notes scaling the heights of the miraculous resurrection Christ won for all.  

As the last of the soloists, alto Brooke Alldredge and soprano Kara Barney sang “O Death, Where Is Thy Sting” in harmonious interplay, a magnificent weaving together of two well-paired voices, preparing the audience for the outpouring of the two final choruses: “But Thanks Be to God” and “Worthy Is the Lamb that Is Slain.”  

All the of evening solos were compelling, but even more praiseworthy than her work in preparing the soloists was Riddle-Jackson’s remarkable labors with the chorale as a whole, labors clearly manifest in the way all 136 voices melded into one potent, perfectly modulated force when rendering the dozen choruses performed during the concert.  Who could resist the exultant transport of “And the Glory of the Lord,” the jubilant elation of “For Unto Us a Child Is Born,” the worshipful adulation of “Glory to God,” the anguished pathos of “Behold the Lamb of God,” the boundless gratitude of “But Thanks Be to God,” or the awe-inspiring grandeur of “Worthy Is the Lamb That Was Slain”? Though the tradition that began with George II brings the audience to their feet only for the sublime “Hallelujah” Chorus, listeners at this fabulous concert must have felt like leaping to their feet for at least four or five of the outstanding choruses the Chorale performed.

As concert-goers left the Heritage Center these two December nights, wintery temperatures and patches of snow marked the season as Christmas.  But with echoes in the deep heart’s core of empyreal music delivering the promise of “victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” all who attended left certain that spring would soon bring the transcendent promise of Easter.

For that renewed certainty, the throngs leaving the Center could thank two hundred devoted musicians, two inspired directors, and two generous event sponsors (the Leavitt Group and State Bank of Southern Utah).  In this certainty, grateful listeners found a Christmas gift that will last until Easter—and beyond.