I attended the premier performance of the “Messiah in America” oratorio put on by the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization (EVMCO) at the Mesa Arts Center on March 5, 2011. I didn’t know what to expect, but at the end, I was extremely glad that I came and felt as though I had seen something that had the potential to become as famous and well-loved as Handel's "Messiah."
EVMCO is directed by Brandon Stewart, and “Messiah in America” was written by his brother, Brett Stewart, who is the director of a similar choral organization in Orange County, California.
Performance programBrett Stewart made an interesting decision to prelude the oratorio with a selection of five hymn and primary song arrangements for choir and orchestra topically suggesting the history of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Oh How Lovely was the Morning” was followed by a “The Story of a Boy,” which described the heroism of Joseph Smith in simple terms and which sounded like it would be perfectly at home in the primary songbook. Then came an arrangement of “Book of Mormon Stories,” in which child soloists sang all the extra verses, after which came “Jesus Is My Shepherd,” “Hope of Israel,” and “We’ll Bring the World His Truth (Army of Helaman).”
At first it seemed odd to prelude the oratorio in this way, but I realized that there were several purposes served by it. First, it located the oratorio in the context of the restoration of the gospel, in the same way that a jewel is displayed in the context of a gold ring. Second, hearing some of these well-known songs performed in interesting arrangements by skilled performers with such a spread of ages showed what church performances of sacred music had the potential to become. (This is one of the stated goals of EVMCO.) Third, it softened the audience and helped put them into the frame of mind to receive and appreciate the oratorio. Fourth, it also served the valuable purpose of starting the audience with musical material that would be accessible with a common level of exposure to music in order to build upon that foundation. It is evident that Brett and Brandon Stewart are intent upon musically educating not just the musicians under their charge, but also the aesthetic sensibilities of their audience. They do this not by shocking the audience with something completely different, but by preparing and training them.
After this prelude, Brandon Stewart, the conductor, took some time to explain the history of the oratorio musical form and what was required of an audience to appreciate it. For those who knew about oratorios, this may have been old news, but for those of us who didn’t know, this background was appreciated. We were told that oratorios were simple stories put to music and that it featured musicians on stage rather than hiding them in a pit as is done in opera. We were informed that we would have to take ourselves out of the modern frame of mind of rush and impatience, forget about cell phones and internet, and pretend that this is our main form of entertainment and relaxation, as it was for those in Handel’s time. For me as an audience member, this was very enlightening, and I didn’t feel talked down to; instead, I felt this prepared me to appreciate the oratorio more fully.
The oratorio itself consisted of thirty-four pieces divided among seven sections.
It begins with the righteousness of the people as they have conquered the Gadianton robbers, it takes them through their descent into awful wickedness, through the destruction of the land at the crucifixion of Christ, and through the appearance and ministry of Christ. It ends with Christ’s ascension into heaven and a meditation on watchmen lifting up the voice together and the imminent coming and reign of Christ on the earth.
“Messiah in America”“Messiah in America” is a high-quality musical work. It demonstrates a great range of compositional ability, with variety everywhere. It ranges in tempo from fast to slow, it ranges in style from classical to contemporary, and it ranges in emotion from triumph to dismay to dread to grief to reverence to exhilaration. Brett Stewart seems to have used whatever musical tools he had in service of the message of the text, and he was not afraid of changing styles several times within the same song, which could have left the music feeling fragmented, but somehow did not. I didn’t notice any particular musical leitmotifs, but the triumphant “Hosanna” chorus becomes a unifying element in the story, and a motif in itself.
One of the wonderful things about this oratorio is that it seemed to present a whole new way of understanding the scriptures and studying them. Brett Stewart seems to have worked very hard to ensure that the music would convey the emotional atmosphere of the text in such a way as to heighten the meaning and to even suggest thoughts and feelings that the words alone could not express. Following along in the libretto with the singing made it seem as though I was there in Book of Mormon times, experiencing those events myself. When the Nephites descended into wickedness, the music truly communicated how horrifying it was, and when they were visited by the Savior, the music underlined what a glorious privilege that was. A number of times I got impressions from the Spirit about the meaning of phrases in ways that I had never thought of before and I found myself jotting scripture insights in my program.
It seemed to me that Brett Stewart also did a very good job of assigning the songs between the adult chorus, the soloists, and the child choir. In most of the oratorio, these choices contribute much to the meaning of the songs and to the sense that the audience was present in Nephite times. It is only at the beginning of the second half that some of the choices seem ill-considered. “Behold my Beloved Son” is sung by the chorus, but I felt that it should have been sung by the Bass soloist instead, so as to give the impression of coming from God. Similiarly, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ” is sung by the chorus, but should have been sung by the Bass (or the Tenor) and possibly accompanied by the chorus humming. The excellent artistic choices of the whole made these places stick out by the contrast.
Quality of the performanceEVMCO is made up of six musical ensembles. Four of them are choirs for children and youth aged 4-18, and the other two are a professional adult choir and a symphony orchestra. It numbers at 1200 participants.
The children’s chorus was excellent. This wasn’t like your usual sacrament primary program in which unstudied delivery becomes part of the charm. Their delivery was both strong and unified, and they produced a high-caliber sound. The child soloists were very young—4 years old—yet they showed the same restraint with microphones that a performer two decades older would show. My friend and I were dumbfounded by how good they sounded and how well they acted.
There was only one place where the child chorus fell apart with half a second lag between different groups on stage singing, and that was the last verse of “Book of Mormon Stories.” It was obvious, but it didn’t last long since the song was just about over, and they regrouped valiantly for the next piece. Out of a three-hour performance, only one mess-up like that is extraordinary.
The EVMCO orchestra seemed very vigorous. I have heard ASU’s orchestra in performance, and EVMCO’s orchestra is superior. Its attack was distinct, and the strings never sounded muddy, even in the very difficult runs in “Now the cause of this iniquity.”
The EVMCO choir was also very good. Pronunciation was excellent, and there were only a few times when I had difficulty picking out what they were saying, mostly in the second part of “There arose a great storm.” I’m not sure whether this was because word stresses fell in odd places in the music or whether words on pick-up notes were too rushed for the listener to catch them. It was astounding how much volume they were capable of sustaining for so long, and when it seemed like they couldn’t possibly muster anything more, they found extra to give. Their passion and enthusiasm was almost tangible.
It is evident that EVMCO is living up to its mission to provide a way for individuals to refine their musical talents with more training and provide professional performance opportunities.
To sum up, when I walked out of this concert, I
really wanted a recording. (That's huge because a concert has to REALLY impress me for me to want to spend $15 for a cd.) Alas, there was no cd yet. They are recording in June up in Salt Lake this year though, and I can’t wait for it to come out. If you have a chance to hear this work in concert by the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization, make sure that you take that opportunity and clear your calendar! It is worth it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
The author wishes to thank her friend Jan Ackermann for inviting her to come to this performance and for paying for her ticket. Jan is not materially connected to EVMCO in any way.
