Handel's Messiah
Although known for their musical talent (especially in stringed instruments), Handel's Messiah is one of the renowned scores that would not make it into an Israeli musician's top ten favorites. Quoting scripture verses from the Old Testament and the New, Handel weaves the most beautiful combination of words and music to tell of the prophesied messiah, a Messiah that, as a whole, the Jews have rejected.
Tonight, I went to see a performance of Handel's Messiah translated into Hebrew. A volunteer choir; modest, retired orchestra; and three months of hard work and practice produced a version of the Messiah that I will never forget. To hear believing Jews sing about their promised Messiah in their own language was a first time event, very moving to many of the Israelis present. The auditorium was packed with about 600 people, with the same amount of tickets sold for tomorrow night's performance. Some in the audience may never have come to listen to a concert of classical music, but they came to support those involved and enjoyed the majesty of the music and the message. The orchestra and choir were complete with an enthusiastic conductor whose glasses slipped off his nose to his chin whenever he vehemently thrust his arms or bobbed his head. The conductor, I heard, was the same man who translated the words and organized the choir. His musical contacts helped him form an orchestra, some of whom were not believers but agreed to help as a favor for a friend.
The Hallelujah chorus was the part that I recognized the most. Over half the words remained the same, hallelujah being used in both the English and Hebrew version! There were enough Americans/foreigners to carry the crowd in the tradition of rising for the chorus. Some of the Israelis that we talked to after the concert didn't know why we stood but were interested to find out the source of the tradition.
The concert was very well done, especially for an amateur choir and orchestra. It will be interesting to see how this version of the gospel will be used and what evangelical inroads it can make. I'm sorry that I forgot to take my camera and so have no pictures. :-(
Although known for their musical talent (especially in stringed instruments), Handel's Messiah is one of the renowned scores that would not make it into an Israeli musician's top ten favorites. Quoting scripture verses from the Old Testament and the New, Handel weaves the most beautiful combination of words and music to tell of the prophesied messiah, a Messiah that, as a whole, the Jews have rejected.
Tonight, I went to see a performance of Handel's Messiah translated into Hebrew. A volunteer choir; modest, retired orchestra; and three months of hard work and practice produced a version of the Messiah that I will never forget. To hear believing Jews sing about their promised Messiah in their own language was a first time event, very moving to many of the Israelis present. The auditorium was packed with about 600 people, with the same amount of tickets sold for tomorrow night's performance. Some in the audience may never have come to listen to a concert of classical music, but they came to support those involved and enjoyed the majesty of the music and the message. The orchestra and choir were complete with an enthusiastic conductor whose glasses slipped off his nose to his chin whenever he vehemently thrust his arms or bobbed his head. The conductor, I heard, was the same man who translated the words and organized the choir. His musical contacts helped him form an orchestra, some of whom were not believers but agreed to help as a favor for a friend.
The Hallelujah chorus was the part that I recognized the most. Over half the words remained the same, hallelujah being used in both the English and Hebrew version! There were enough Americans/foreigners to carry the crowd in the tradition of rising for the chorus. Some of the Israelis that we talked to after the concert didn't know why we stood but were interested to find out the source of the tradition.
The concert was very well done, especially for an amateur choir and orchestra. It will be interesting to see how this version of the gospel will be used and what evangelical inroads it can make. I'm sorry that I forgot to take my camera and so have no pictures. :-(
posted by In The Potter's Land | 2:07 PM
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