It's a holiday tradition: performances of George Frideric Handel's Messiah. On December 2-4, 2022, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Chorus brought this masterwork to the Emerson Concert Stage at Powell Hall, this time under the direction of Laurence Cummings.
Almost 5,000 people over three concerts heard what is arguable the most popular oratorio ever written and welcomed four guest vocalists to Powell Hall for the first time: Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Key'mon Murrah, countertenor; John Matthew Myers, tenor; and Jonathon Adams, baritone. Depicting the Messiah's Annunciation, Passion and Resurrection, and Judgement Day, Hande's Messiah is a standard-bearer for vocal repertoire, and Cummings drew out exceptional performances from Chorus--slightly reduced in numbers to align with the chorus size of the Baroque period.
Performing arts critic Chuck Lavazzi, of KDHX, wrote, "The singers delivered the more emotionally charged numbers with fervor."
Photos by Dilip Vishwanat
