King goes solo

One of the most popular sacred works to herald Christmas is Messiah and every year one or two local choirs take it on. This holiday season, the Richard Eaton Singers perform it on Saturday at the Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove.

“The odd thing is it was never meant to be sung at Christmas. George Frideric Handel wrote it to be performed at Lent. It was only in the 20th century that it was adopted for Christmas,” says St. Albert tenor Robert King, who is this year’s soloist.

King is a gifted tenor who received classical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and has received accolades in major collaborations with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Alberta Baroque Ensemble, Spiritus Chamber Choir and Pro Coro Canada.

In its entirety, Messiah is a three-hour-plus composition and King speculates that at the turn of the century choirmasters were attracted to the joyous Advent section on the birth of Jesus and presented it as Christmas worship. Fortunately, the spiritual beauty of this soaring composition snowballed and became a Christmas institution.

“Not many people are aware that the libretto was written by Charles Jennens and that Handel wrote the music after the libretto was written,” says King, throwing in that tidbit of musical trivia.

“Handel wrote the music in a 24-day period. Often music of this nature can take months, even years. I believe he was spiritually inspired.”

In this program Richard Eaton Singers conductor Leonard Ratzlaff has cut the program to just over two hours. King will sing five songs throughout the repertoire.

Messiah is divided into three sections starting with the joyous birth of Christ, the lead up to his death and resurrection, and the final segment dealing with the second coming.

King will sing weighty works from the middle portion of the passion such as dark and poignant All They That See Him, Laugh Him to Scorn; Thy Rebuke Has Broken His Heart; Behold, And See If There Be Any Sorrow and He Was Cut Off, Out of the Land of the Living.

In the final work King sings But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in Hell celebrating the resurrection. “God brings him back from the depths of hell and the music goes from being slain on the cross to being triumphant. It sets the mood and is an important transition for Messiah.”

Although a Lenten piece, King believes the message speaks loudly for all. “It is a hope for the future, the fact that there is something better. That our sin has been dealt with and the fact that it continues to remind us of the hope we want to share at Christmas and it reminds us of what Christmas is all about.”

Tickets are $33.75 to $38.75. Call 780-451-8000 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca