Bows were taken and the curtain drawn after the last of three performances of Handel’s Messiah concluded Saturday evening at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC).
In an epic display of vocals and instruments, the Aurora Chorealis choir united with soloists and a chamber orchestra to fill the stage and present one of the season’s best known and well-loved classics.
During the reception after the concert, the performers were energized and happy with the audience support during each of their performances.
Margo Nightingale, choir director for the performances, said the energy given off by the 100 people on stage was “nourishment.”
“There’s this sort of flow between us that just keeps us all connected and it’s actually quite lovely,” Nightingale said. “The connection that occurs between singers and the conductor is a very real, very important part of this process.”
The range of emotions and the intensity emanating from the many choruses that comprise the Messiah performance also added to the overall experience, she said.
Choir member Valery Braden said Saturday evening’s performance had special guest Gwich’in Elder Margaret Nazon present, as they used one of her beaded nighttime sky pieces in imagery to advertise the concert.
“She came down from Tsiigehtchic to see the show,” Braden said.
Solos in the spotlight
The performance began with the orchestra, then the soloists and choir introduced different aspects of the Messiah story in three parts, said Braden.
“It’s an amazing work,” she said.
One of the soloists during the performance was Claire Singer of Yellowknife, who said Handel’s Messiah is “quintessentially Christmas,” and she was happy to see so many people attend the performances.
Singer sang the solo piece ‘Why Do the Nations So Furiously Rage Together’ during the performance.
“This is actually like normally a bass solo, but I sang it as a soprano and it was so much fun to learn,” she said.
“I learned the Messiah when I was in university, when I was in my 20s, so this is the first time I performed it in about 20 years and it’s just been such a pleasure to be back on stage.”
Oliver Munar, a guest tenor who hails from Calgary, said singing the Messiah was a wonderful experience for him and he was happy to be revisiting Yellowknife for the opportunity to perform on stage.
“And so to be able to come back here this week was a real gift. It was wonderful to reconnect with so many wonderful friends and to collaborate on this beautiful music,” Munar said.
“You know, telling the story of the Messiah is one thing, but to be supported by such wonderful, passionate musicians that have a vested interest in telling the story is really the biggest gift, with so many friends in the choir and being led by Margo.
“It was just a joyful experience.”
Finely tuned
Another special guest at the performance was MacEwan University Conservatory of Music violinist Dr. Vladimir Rufino of Alberta, who plays regularly with various orchestras, including the Vaughan String Quartet, with whom he’s currently touring in Canada.
“I was working with a choir of amazing musicians. It was a week of wonderful music-making and it was a unique experience,” Rufino said.
Musician Kay Sibbeston of Yellowknife said it was her first time performing the Messiah.
“It was very daunting at first. It’s a lot of music to learn, but once we kind of started plucking away at it, it’s very interesting, and in the end, it was very rewarding to be able to pull it off. I had a lot of fun with it,” Sibbeston said.
The entire performance was very much a team effort, she said.
“I don’t think any of us could have really done it if we didn’t have other people to lean on, which is one of the great things about being in a choir — that is if you’re not so strong at one part, you have a whole bunch of people who can help you out with it.”
Former Yellowknifer Katy Harmer, now a Winnipeg resident, performed a solo and said she, too, found it to be “such a joyful experience.”
“It was just worked out so nicely for me in my musical life. I’m a choir conductor, and usually a choir singer and usually among everybody, so this is a new thing for me to be a soloist, but I really enjoyed it,” Harmer said.