December 11-17, 2003

musicpicks

Handel's Messiah

classical

If all you know (or remember) of Handel's Messiah is standing up for the "Hallelujah Chorus" (a practice utterly without point, but everyone does it), get yourself a ticket today. Handel's oratorio, minted in 1742 in Dublin, offers both the sublime and the highly danceable -- no surprise, as the composer stole a lot of the snappier tunes from his own somewhat racy and jovial secular works. The Philadelphia Orchestra offers Messiah yearly but varies the personnel; the 2003 crew looks like a winner. The Austrian Martin Haselböck, extensively recorded as keyboardist and conductor in Bach, Mozart and Haydn, leads a highly promising quartet. Two excellent young Canadian singers, Karina Gauvin (a silvery soprano) and Susan Platts (a plush contralto), join Michael Slattery, a very young American lyric tenor on a fast track to international success. The stylish Welsh bass Neal Davies will serve as elder statesman. David Hayes' valiant Philadelphia Singers get to rock Verizon Hall with all those sheep, yokes and exultant cries of "Forever!"

Philadelphia Orchestra, Sun., Dec. 14, 4 p.m and Mon., Dec. 15, 7 p.m., Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St., $30-$110, 215-893-1999.

—David Shengold