Why Händel?
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Why Händel?
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| Krisztina Szabó & Zachary Wilder at the Chan after performing Händel's Theodora, Feb 14 2015 |
Händel is the master of beautiful and memorable
melody. He can be so expressive and so
achingly poignant with seemingly so little. And after breaking your heart with
an exquisite melody in one aria, in the next moment, he gives you an aria with
fiery, complicated coloratura which challenges even the best of singers. There is never a dull moment singing Händel's
music, and for me, singing Händel's music is like the perfect gift,
beautifully wrapped with an exquisite and elegant bow.
Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano
On my long flight home, I rolled around in my head the
very existential question you gave us "Why Händel?" It would be
difficult to explore all the philosophical merits of the composer in one short
paragraph, but I think it is worthwhile to talk about the things that make
Händel special. It is remarkable that so many different cultures claim Händel
for their own: the Germans, the Italians, and the English. Händel did indeed
live in these three countries for a time, but I believe the reason his music
has become such an important part of these national identities is because he
was really a musical chameleon and a master of style. For example, when a young
Händel came to Italy, he was able to immerse himself in the avant-garde musical
scene of Rome and was writing works that are truly Italian at heart. By the
time we get to Theodora, Händel had begun taking the best from all the styles
he had absorbed (a french aria here, an italianate accompagnato there). So
this, coupled with superb vocal writing, a strong sense of theater and drama,
and a musical sensibility that is emotionally piercing, is what makes Händel's
music so enduring!
Zachary Wilder , tenor
I am afraid I only can come up with a very boring answer
to the question "Why Händel?"; it would be the same I would give in
reply to "Why Bach?", or "Why Haydn?", or "Why
Mozart?" etc... They all are just fantastic musicians and left us with
immortal, rather timeless compositions which open our senses towards a deeper
understanding of life, the world and us.
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| Alexander Weimann |
Theodora & Charlie Brown
Theodora - The World Have Ears And Hear Not
Why Bach?
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| Curtis Daily's bass |
