The Early Messiah

Messiah is like a dinner party," says Nicholas McGegan. "You can always rearrange and tweak these lovely familiar things." " width="180" border="0" height="152" />
WORKING HOLIDAY: "Messiah is like a dinner party," says Nicholas McGegan. "You can always rearrange and tweak these lovely familiar things." Photo By: geraint Lewis

Conductor Nicholas McGegan brings ebullient style to Handel's (mistimed) holiday favorite.

by David Shengold

Aptly, the Philadelphia Orchestra had Nicholas McGegan lead "The Sounds of Happiness" programs featuring Bach, Rameau and Handel's "Water Music" just before Halloween. The easy-witted but hard-working, British-trained but Northern California-based conductor has a knack for bringing joy to his endeavors that rubs off on orchestras as well as audiences. Expert and resourceful, he's not doctrinaire about imposing Early Music Mafia Practices on the large, traditional (i.e., expanded for the Late Romantic repertory) orchestras he increasingly finds himself leading. As he points out, "Water Music" was written for a humongous outdoor orchestra even larger than the Philadelphia in full cry. Besides, he says, "The Philadelphia string section is known for its fabulous sound, and you take that as a gift; you don't march in and say, "Ugh—no vibrato, please.'"

Born in England and educated at both Oxford and Cambridge, McGegan had a Scottish father with Irish roots. (A good Trainspotting accent can be coaxed from him without much fuss, as he's worked a lot in Scotland.) He retains his British passport though for nearly 20 years he's resided in Berkeley, where he presides over and records with the impressive and internationally acknowledged Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of San Francisco. He also leads them in operas every summer at the Handel Festival in Göttingen.

McGegan points out that in a complete edition, it's evident from the texts of the later numbers that Handel conceived Messiah for Easter—not Christmas—celebrations. So he sanctions cuts for live Christmas performances. He certainly doesn't mind if audiences choose to stand for the famed "Hallelujah Chorus" that closes the second part of Handel's tripartite work, even though there' s absolutely no musical or religious justification for doing so.

He has led Messiah here before: Two years ago, an exciting performance of it especially on opening night, when, due to a soloist's illness, a chorus soprano stepped forward and sang (quite professionally) some of the solo arias, while others were reshuffled. ("Messiah is like a dinner party," observes McGegan. "You can always rearrange and tweak these lovely familiar things.") This year, the originally booked soprano had to cancel, and McGegan looks forward to working with Celena Shafer, an accomplished and rising Utah-born soprano at ease in the stratosphere. She's also headlining the New York Philharmonic's Messiah this year.

Marietta Simpson, a splendid low-voiced singer who came up in the traditions of Philadelphia's African-American churches like Marian Anderson and Florence Quivar before her, does the mezzo part. "Marietta walks on air," says McGegan. He also praises the musicianship of Canadian tenor John Tessier, who has made his (stylish) mark in Handel operas at the Glimmerglass festival and elsewhere, and with whom McGegan did the early Mozart opera Il re pastore at Lincoln Center last summer; he calls bass Philip Cutlip "just great" for this assignment, which includes the stirring aria, "The Trumpet Shall Sound." The Philadelphia Singers Chorale under music director David Hayes will provide the choral thunder.

These days in Europe, oratorios and sacred choral works are often poached for staging by hotshot postmodern stage directors. McGegan wouldn't be interested in leading such a Messiah unless it were with one of his favorite, frequent collaborators, the brilliantly raffish Mark Morris. "Working with Mark is always a blast, about as much fun as you can have legally and in public." No one will be dancing onstage in Verizon Hall this time around, but with McGegan's sprightly baton in charge, you just might find yourself tapping your toes.

Philadelphia Orchestra with Nicholas McGegan, conductor, Sun., Dec. 12, 2 p.m., and Mon., Dec. 13, 7 p.m., $25-$100 , Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999.