From its 1742 Dublin premiere, Handel’s Messiah was destined for greatness, loftily praised at the time by one George Faulkner as, “the sublime, the grand and the tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestic and moving words”.
Above all, he added, it “conspired to transport and charm the ravishedheart and ear”.
On Sunday night, closing Auckland Choral’s 2025 season, the iconic oratorio achieved all of that for a full house eager to experience what conductor Uwe Grodd described, in his lively welcoming speech, as a masterpiece that binds us together, as only great art can.
All of which was made possible, it must be admitted, by that shrewd genius Handel, whose unerring sense of the theatrical and downright tunefulness might have made him, on the other side of the Atlantic, a few centuries later, a Broadway great.
The glow of enjoyment was there from the first few phrases of Pipers Sinfonia’s crisply delivered overture. It was fortified by Robert Macfarlane’s first recitative, singling out a cry of “Comfort ye” with dramatic dynamics rather than florid ornamentation.
The tenor would continue using his enviable vocal power to emphasise notes that might have been more effective nestling in the Handelian flow, as did fellow Australian, baritone David Greco, in his sometimes tense passagework.
Nevertheless, alongside Huw Dann’s spirited trumpet, Greco made The Trumpet Shall Sound a thrilling highlight of the evening.
Soprano Polly Ott with conductor Uwe Grodd. Photo / Bruce Crossan
Polly Ott brought a considered coloratura clarity to Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion, communicating a real sense of rapport in her more reflective arias.
Countertenor, Samuel Mataele, 18, a prizewinner in this year’s Nicholas Tarling Aria Competition, impressed from this first But who may abide, balancing subtly decorated and melodious assurance with fiery Prestissimo.
An opportunity was missed by omitting a full repeat in Mataele’s He was despised, sacrificing what might have been particularly poignant ornamentation.
Countertenor Samuel Mataele with conductor Uwe Grodd. Photo / Bruce Crossan
At the core of Auckland Choral’s Messiah tradition is Grodd working with his choristers.
A recurring edge to high soprano lines may irritate, but compensation comes in the energy and character that the conductor brings out, from a buoyant And the Glory and joyful Unto us a child is born through to the lustiest baroque splendour, spectacularly underlined by Philip Smith on the town hall organ.
