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 Program Notes
"New" World premier: December 18, 1993 in New York City
Co-Arranged by composers Bob Christianson & Gary Anderson
The Concordia Orchestra, Marin Alsop, conductor
Morgan State University Choir, Dr. Nathan Carter, director
Featured Solo Vocalists: Vivian Cherry, Lillias White and Thomas Young
Scored for 5 saxophones, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion, rhythm section, Hammond B-3 organ, piano, strings, Gospel choir and Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor soloists.
HANDEL'S MESSIAH (With A Twist)
George Frideric Handel was on a roll in the spring of 1742, when he premiered his great Oratorio: the Messiah. It was reported in the Dublin Journal by an anonymous critic that: 'On Tuesday last Mr. Handel's Sacred Grand Oratorio, the Messiah , was performed at the New Music-Hall in Fishamble Street. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestik and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear.'
Two hundred and sixty-four years later, and Handel's Messiah is one of the most performed and popular choral works that is appreciated by audiences all over the globe. Instantly recognizable is the "Hallelujah Chorus" which always gets people on their feet during performances of the Messiah.
It is exactly that sense of excitement that prompted conductor Marin Alsop to suggest giving Handel's Messiah a new twist. Too Hot To Handel grew from an idea to fruition in the hands of Alsop's colleagues: Gary Anderson and Bob Christianson, who recreated this gospel -- jazz version adaptation of the MESSIAH in 1992. The sensational new appeal of Too Hot To Handel has been met with the same enthusiasm as it was when the ink was fresh in 1742.
Marin Alsop, in collaboration with Anderson and Christianson, envisioned Messiah in a way that captures a fresh 'feel' and thrill, while still retaining Handel's original musical intent. "It's a great story, but I also think that it requires some kind of audience participation. It becomes an active listening experience, when you're allowed to stand up or clap your hands." says Alsop; who wanted to relax the perception of quiet, polite classical audience and turn the performance into a participatory event. The creative team of Alsop-Anderson-Christianson decided their adaptation would encompass jazz, gospel, rock and funk -- to "break the classical sound barrier." The result is a swinging performance of the traditional oratorio.
© 2003, rev. 2006 Ella M. Fredrickson for Too Hot, LLC
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