Tag: Edward Polochick

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Hallelujah! The BSO is Recording Messiah!

handel

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Concert Artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale are presenting their annual performances of Handel’s Messiah December 2-4, with concerts at both the Meyerhoff and Strathmore. Maestro Edward Polochick has conducted Messiah with the BSO since 1982, and I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of singing it with him many times since the late 1990’s. Recently, we got together to chat about his interpretation of the piece, finding clues to what Handel wanted in a “skeletal” score composed in just under three weeks, and great news regarding a collaboration with Naxos Records.

Here’s an extended version of the interview Maestro Polochick and I recorded for broadcast:

And here’s a more in-depth conversation about Maestro’s concept of the work, its evolution over the decades, the “tricks” we singers do to achieve certain sounds, and the chorus he loves to hate – or does he?

 

 

edward-polochick

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Oh Four Tuna

Who among us has never misheard the lyrics to a piece of music & gotten a good laugh when we found out what the real words are? Some of us – myself included – also like to make up new lyrics to familiar tunes, not that we’d ever sing them in performance. Oh, no, singers (especially those with classical training) are all perfect angels. Right.

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana certainly lends itself to both linguistic misinterpretation & parody. The text is based on a collection of medieval poems found in a library in southern Germany in the 19th century. Many of the poems are written in Latin, but some are in German & a few are macaronic (a combination of Latin & a vernacular – in this case, German or French.) For a modern English speaker, hearing all of those languages sung in the same piece is bound to create confusion & possible hilarity. The first movement of Carmina Burana, O Fortuna, has been the subject of numerous “reinterpretations;”  there are at least related 18 videos on YouTube.  If you need a good laugh & have a bit of time to kill, I’d highly recommend watching a couple of them, but be warned: some contain potentially NSFW lyrics &/or images. Then again, isn’t that apropos given that the original words to Carmina Burana are all about spring, drinking, & the, er, physical side of l’amour?

If you’d like to hear Carmina Burana sung live – & with the original lyrics! – you can do so on Saturday, May 5th at 8pm. Concert Artists of Baltimore, their Orchestra & Symphonic Chorale, the Peabody Concert Orchestra, the Peabody Hopkins Chorus, & Peabody Children’s Chorus are joining forces to present the piece at the Lyric.  Another of my favorite choral works, Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, is also on the program, & I’m very pleased to say that I’ll have the privilege of being onstage that night. Maestro Polochick, if you’re reading this, I promise to sing only Orff’s “official” words. Really.

 

 

 

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We fell down the rabbit hole

& into a fabulous party! Concert Artists of Baltimore held their 2012 gala, “Through the Looking Glass”, at the Engineers Club this past Saturday evening & several of us from the station (Jonathan, Kati, & myself) attended. The invitation read “costumes encouraged”; quite a few of the guests either went all-out or accessorized more traditional formal wear with Mad Hatter chapeaux, Queen of Hearts tiaras, or, in one gentleman’s case, a White Rabbit mask, paws, & tail. Jim & I went the accessories route;  the enormous tiara I’m sporting in these pics was actually my wedding headgear & his glittery top hat has been to a few parties in its time.

Jonathan was the MC & auctioneer for the gala; as you might expect, he was great. There was live music, too: Maestro (& pianist extraordinaire!) Edward Polochick  joined several Concert Artists members in favorite selections & a dance band kept things lively in the ballroom. Good thing, since food & drink were plentiful & delicious.

I can’t believe I didn’t get a pic of Kati – was she being camera-shy? – but you can see Maestro Polochick, Jonathan, Jim, & myself in this post. A great time was had by all & we can’t wait to see what sort of gala Concert Artists will have next year!

 

 

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Halleluja!

The last thing Music Director Edward Polochick did after his performance of Messiah was hold up Handel’s great score. What a composer! What a score! What a performance by Concert Artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra lead by Ed Polochick!

Concert Artists of Baltimore have performed Messiah every year now for about 30 years. Last night’s performance felt as though it was the first time and yet as if it had been performed forever by Concert Artists and the BSO. It felt fresh yet deliciously comfortable and suede worn. The chorus was spectacular and beautifully nuanced, the orchestra seemed energetic and fit and each of the soloists was a stand out and just right to sing Handel’s Messiah.

Tenor, Nicholas Phan gave a thoughtful performance with a combination of a nice voice and great diction. Soprano, Karen Clift delivered some uplifting high notes within a beautifully subtle overall performance. Baritone, Stephen Powell’s The Trumpet Shall Sound blew me away in the power of his voice and dramatic performance. Speaking of drama, mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó evoked terror one moment then heart ache the next. Of all the singers she was the most compelling to me. There was something about her articulation and phrasing that moved me.

A great performance of a familiar work like Handel’s Messiah can sometimes joggle my brain and illuminate something that had never occurred to me. For instance where did Handel get all the great biblical texts? The English scholar and arts patron, Charles Jennens put together texts for a number of compositions by Handel including Saul, Israel in Egypt, L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Belshazzar and Messiah. Clever man! Clever Handel for joining the texts together with his great music as if both were inextricably bound together.

Yes, I love that Handel’s Messiah is a Christmas and Easter tradition to be counted upon, that it’s so familiar and to stand for the Hallelujah Chorus; but it’s even more special when that great oratorio is given a performance like last night’s. Halleluja!