ところでこの演奏会はロンドンでの評価を初演から10年遅れで確立した捨子養育院の慈善演奏会と同様、チャリティとして行われたところに普通のメサイア公演とは違う目的がある。合唱の練習もお祈りで始まり、お祈りで終わる。ここに集う団員の多くは宗教的なモチベーションがあり、神を賛美するこの行為に参加すること自体が功徳を積むと考えているためか、逆に言えばそれで完結して音楽的な高みをめざす意識のない人たちもいて、そこがひとつの限界点のように思える。それを大きな問題とは言えないが、難しいところだ。と言いつつも、今日の演奏会の出来は全体としては讃美できるように思う。特にそれはオーケストラに負うところが大きい。それほどこのプロジェクトに組織されたオケは素晴らしかった。もちろん僕としては古楽器でのバロック・ピッチで歌うという理想はあるのだが、このオケとコラボできたという幸せはなかなか得難いという想いだ。
僕は今年のチャレンジとして折角ここまで習得したのだから、もう少し違うメサイアも体験しておきたいと、師走のトロントに行くことにした。かねてよりバロック演奏で注目しているターフェルムジークが毎年「メサイア唱和」なるイベントを続けているというのに目を付けたのは半年ほど前のことだ。チケット販売が始まる夏過ぎまで手配を怠っていたらマイレージ・フライトは取れなくて、航空券購入を決断せざるを得なかったが、現地の友人が格安で宿を手配してくれた。ターフェルムジーク合奏団は12月18日まで4日間、連日メサイア公演を行い、翌日の日曜午後に観客席を巻き込んだメサイアを歌う演奏会が締めとなる企画だ。情報を見ると、並行してトロント交響楽団も20日くらいまで数日メサイアの演奏会を続けるので、向こうではクリスマス前はメサイア一色なのかも知れない。これがイギリス的伝統なのかどうかはよく解らない。弾丸ツアーではないが、4泊6日で演奏会を聞いて歌って帰ってくるつもり。
この際、どなたかご一緒にトロントまで、如何ですか？
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Messiah concert was over quite satisfactorily. I had set the challenge for this year to master this masterpiece of Handel, and I am happy having reached the first summit now. In the beginning, contrasting to over 20 each soprano and alto singers, there were only 3 or 4 tenors whose level was more or less same as myself, and I wondered how this could be practically overcome? When it comes to Messiah, some volunteers always show up as the concert approaches who want to sing on the stage but skipping the lessons. Our choir did not accept them, but a few old members and extra staff were added toward the final stage that really enhanced the ability of singing.
Our concert was uniquely a charity in essence like the concert for Foundling Hospital in 1750 in London that established Messiah’s reputation 10 years late since its debut. Our weekly choir lessons started with a prayer and ended with another prayer. Many members gather here with their religious motivation, and they probably think that performing to praise the Father means the accumulation of virtues by itself. Seeing it from the opposite side, their effort completes there and thus some of choir members did not look much interested in raising the quality of singing. This hurdle may not be a serious issue, but a delicate area to address. Having said this, I think today’s concert was quite well done as a whole. I believe we owe it particularly to the orchestra. The members who gathered for this project were by all means just outstanding, thanks to Conductor Shigemi. I of course reserve my wish to sing with the orchestra of period instruments and with the baroque pitch ideally speaking, but I feel so happy collaborating with this orchestra, which was truly a rare opportunity.
As for me, since I have made this yearlong effort of singing, I seriously wanted to experience the other Messiah in a different way, and it made me to decide traveling to Toronto. I have been chasing Tafelmusik as an excellent baroque orchestra for a while, and about six months ago it came to my attention that they had the annual event called “Sing-along Messiah”. No mileage flights were available around the time I booked the concert tickets, and I had to decide whether I dared to buy the air-tickets or not. My friend in Toronto helped to me in getting a hotel room with a very good deal instead.
Tafelmusik runs Messiah concerts for 4 days until December 18 and the following Sunday matinee is the Sing-Along in which the audience will sing to accompany the orchestra. Toronto Symphony also holds Messiah concerts in parallel for a few days until 20th. It looks like Messiah is all over before Christmas out there, and I don’t know if it is a British style in December traditionally. My travel is compact and rapid for 6 days with 4 nights in Toronto just back and forth. Will anybody join me?
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