Messiah Singalong

There was a Messiah 'singalong' in Gananoque on Friday night and it was extremely well attended. Participants were Orchestra Kingston, a community orchestra combining professional and amateur musicians, The Gananoque Choral Society, Frontenac Women's Chorus and the Queen's University Chamber Choir. The Gananoque Choral Society was actually formed about 15 years ago for the purpose of presenting Handel's Messiah so it was a return to its roots for that organization.

The performance was quite good, for an amateur group. The orchestra chose the Mozart edition of Handel's work and I must say I really don't think Mozart enhanced the original work in any way. I found the orchestral accompaniment too busy at times, intruding on the vocal elements. I had never attended a singalong Messiah and was disappointed that the audience was not seated according to choral sections. Sitting where I was, in the middle of a group of non-singers, was not conducive to singing bass, which was largely why I had gone to this particular performance.

All in all, however, an enjoyable evening.