Great Barrington — Some folks enjoy Handel’s “Messiah” mainly for the parts that feature a full chorus of singers—not only “Hallelujah,” but many other popular choruses that tend to stick in people’s heads and compel them to sing along. If you count yourself among these lovers of Baroque choral music, then you won’t want to miss the Berkshire Bach Society’s annual Messiah Sing at First Congregational Church on Saturday, November 25. The audience (you) will do all of the singing, and your backup band will be The Berkshire Bach Players. James Bagwell conducts.
You are encouraged to bring you own score, but the Society may have one you can borrow. So that you can prepare your performance ahead of time (for the sake of maximum personal enjoyment), the Society has provided the following list of the choruses on the program for November 25:
Part I
No. 1 Overture
No. 4 And the Glory of the Lord
No. 7 And he shall purify
No. 9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (Aria and Chorus)
No. 12 For unto us a child is born
No. 16 And suddenly there was with the Angel (Recitative)
No. 17 Glory to God
No. 21 His yoke is easy
Part II
No. 22 Behold the Lamb of God
No. 24 Surely he hath borne
No. 25 And with his stripes
No. 26 All we like sheep
No. 28 He trusted in God
No. 33 Lift up your heads
No. 44 Hallelujah
Part III
No. 46 Since by man came death
No. 53 Worthy is the lamb / Amen
Over two dozen musicians make up the Berkshire Bach Players. All are associated with major orchestras and teaching institutions, and some are international celebrities. The entire group of musicians infrequently assembles together at the same time, and you never know which musicians you are likely to hear at any given performance. But you can see from their roster that they have all their bases well covered for the November 25 performance.
Bard College Professor of Music and Bard College Conservatory of Music Director of Performance Studies James Bagwell is associate conductor and academic director of The Orchestra Now at Bard College. Since 2003, he has been director of choruses for the Bard Music Festival, conducting and preparing choral works during the summer festival at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. He has trained choruses for American and international orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and many more. He has worked with such noted conductors as Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Shaw, and many others.
Join conductor James Bagwell and the Berkshire Bach Players in a community performance of Handel’s “Messiah” at the First Congregational Church on Saturday, November 25, at 4 p.m. Admission is free, and non-singers are invited to join in the fun as inspired listeners.
