MESSIAH

Read the Messiah Program

Download the Messiah program and read all about the chorus, soloists, orchestra and those who support Westchester Oratorio Society.

(File size: 14MB)

Quotations from the performance

"Simply amazing. The energy was full-steam."

"It will be difficult to imagine this piece performed in any other way."

"Sequel?"

"I arrived knowing nobody and at the end of Part I felt in touch with every person."

"This was the performance of Messiah I didn't even know I wanted."

"WOS once again proves that almost anybody can make great music."

"In a season of endless Messiahs, this one impresses me the most."

"REBEL was splendid, the soloists each unique and the chorus capable of singing from thunder to a pin drop. No small feat."

"Handel approves."

About Period Instruments and Performance

Read the Wikipedia article here.

Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or (HIP)) is an approach, or movement, in the performance of classical music and theater.

Members of this movement usually play on period instruments, deploy older types of acting and scenery, and consult historical treatises, as well as additional historical evidence, to gain insight into theperformance practice (the stylistic and technical aspects of performance) of a historic era.

Historically informed performance might have originated in the performance of Medieval, Renaissance, andBaroque music, but has come to encompass music from the Classical and Romantic eras as well. Quite recently, the phenomenon has begun to affect the theatrical stage, for instance in the production of Baroque opera.

About REBEL Baroque Orchestra

R E B E L

Jörg-Michael Schwarz & Karen Marie Marmer, directors

Hailed by the New York Times as “Sophisticated and Beguiling” and praised by the Los Angeles Times for their “astonishingly vital music-making”, the New York-based Baroque ensemble REBEL (pronounced “Re-BEL”) has earned an impressive international reputation, enchanting diverse audiences by their unique style and their virtuosic, highly expressive and provocative approach to the Baroque and Classical repertoire.

WOS Makes Messiah History

Performs Handel's Masterpiece in 2hrs, 25mins to sold-out crowd

See the original article here.

By Sarah Ellen Berman | November 22, 2010

On Sunday evening, the Westchester Oratorio Society and the Rebel Baroque Orchestra performed a rendition of George Frideric Handel's Messiah at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco. It was one of the first renditions of this masterpiece for the 2010 yuletide season.

The church provided a majestic setting for the concert. The singers and orchestra members were nestled beneath a gleaming organ. When an encore of the Hallelujah chorus was added at the end, audience members joined in.

There were many members of the audience had come initially to support their friends, and after a few bars of music, many were enthralled.

"They sound amazing," said Kristian Leno. "It's a wonderful evening out."

Jeff Vreeland, who attended with his wife Ginny, said that they have been coming to the Society's concerts "since its inception." "We tend to come to whatever they're doing," he said.

Christine Appleman compared this evening's performance to others she had attended. This is a "100-percent improvement with the live orchestra," she said, also noting that it adds more depth.

The collaboration between the society and Rebel began when the groups performed together at a fundraising gala for the society called Baroque and Beyond. The concert also included performances by four highly accomplished soloists, including Raymond Diaz, who is a student at Purchase College.

"Everybody was so taken with them," recalled Alto Joy Travalino."Everybody loved the performance at the gala."

The Katonah-based society is currently comprised of approximately 65 members and is open to all who wish to participate.

Tenor Lisa Silver-Frankel sees many benefits to being a member. "For me it's a singing outlet. It gives me a chance to connect with my community and entertain my community." Her daughter, Irina, a student at John Jay High School, performed her first solo in front of a large audience.

The origin of the baroque orchestra's name reveals its raison d'être. Its namesake is the French Baroque composer Jean-Féry Rebel. Rebel is pronounced Re-BEL, as was the composer's name.

The group's signature sound is derived from its period instruments.

"The gentler sound of the gut strings led by Jörg -Michael Schwartz and the sound of the two-keyed oboes and the trumpets [sans valves] blend with their voices to create a historically informed performance," principal oboist Sarah Davol noted. Risa Browder, a member of orchestra, played a Jakob Stainer violin from 1641.

Rebel has played with many notable artists including Renee Fleming. In 1999, the orchestra won an artists' residence at National Public Radio, according to the group's website.