Dr. Stan Engebretson, Chorale Artistic Director & Conductor
December 18 & 19, 2021 – The Music Center at Strathmore
December 23, 2021 – Capital One Hall
Featuring soprano Suzanne Karpov, mezzo soprano Magdalena Wor, tenor Matthew Smith, and baritone Brandon Hendrickson.
Messiah George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
PART I
Sinfonia
Recitative (tenor) Comfort ye, my people, saith your God
Aria (tenor) Every valley shall be exalted
Chorus And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
Recitative (bass) Thus saith the Lord of Hosts
Aria (alto) But who may abide the day of His coming
Chorus And He shall purify the sons of Levi
Recitative (alto) Behold, a virgin shall conceive
Aria (alto) O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
Chorus O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, arise
Recitative (bass) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
Aria (bass) The people that walked in darkness
Chorus For unto us a child is born
Pastoral Symphony
Recitative (soprano) There were shepherds abiding in the field
Recitative (soprano) And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them
Recitative (soprano) And the angel said unto them: Fear not, for behold
Chorus Glory to God in the highest
Aria (soprano) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
Recitative (soprano) Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened
Aria (alto and soprano) He shall feed His flock like a shepherd
Chorus His yoke is easy, and His burthen is light
INTERMISSION
PART II
Chorus Behold the lamb of God
Aria (alto) He was despised and rejected of men
Chorus Surely He hath borne our griefs
Chorus All we like sheep have gone astray
Recitative (tenor) All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn
Chorus He trusted in God that He would deliver Him
Recitative (tenor) Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
Aria (tenor) Behold and see if there be any sorrow
Recitative (tenor) He was cut off out of the land of the living
Aria (tenor) But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell
Aria (bass) Why do the nations so furiously rage together
Chorus Let us break their bonds asunder
Recitative (tenor) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn
Aria (tenor) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron
Chorus Hallelujah!
PART III
Aria (soprano) I know that my redeemer liveth
Chorus Since by man came death
Recitative (bass) Behold, I tell you a mystery
Aria (bass) The trumpet shall sound
Chorus Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
Chorus Amen
Guest artists for this concert are sponsored by generous gifts from Rosalie Lijinsky and Elzbieta Vande Sande.
Part One
Overture
Recitative (Tenor)
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her
warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is
pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for
our God.
Air (Tenor)
Every valley shall be exalted, and every
mountain and hill made low: the crooked
straight, and the rough places plain.
Chorus
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together: for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Recitative (Bass)
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, a
little while, and I will shake the heavens, and
the earth, the sea, and the dry land; And I
will shake all nations, and the desire of all
nations shall come: The Lord whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the
Lord of hosts.
Air (Bass)
But who may abide the day of his coming?
And who shall stand when he appeareth?
For He is like a refiner’s fire.
Chorus
And he shall purify the sons of Levi, that
they may offer unto the Lord an offering
in righteousness.
Recitative (Mezzo-soprano)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel,
“God-with-us.”
Air (Mezzo-soprano) and Chorus
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get
thee up into the high mountain; O thou that
tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up they
voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid;
say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your
God! Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and
the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
Recitative (Bass)
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people: but the Lord
shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be
seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come
to thy light, and kings to the brightness of
thy rising.
Air (Bass)
The people that walked in darkness have
seen a great light: and they that dwell in the
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath
the light shined.
Chorus
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon
his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
PIFA (“Pastoral Symphony”)
Recitative (Soprano)
There were shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock at night.
Arioso (Soprano)
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them: and they were sore afraid.
Recitative (Soprano)
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
Arioso (Soprano)
And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying,
Chorus
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on
earth, good will towards men.
Air (Soprano)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout,
O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King
cometh unto thee: he is the righteous
Saviour. And he shall speak peace unto
the heathen.
Recitative (Mezzo-soprano)
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then
shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb shall sing.
Air (Mezzo-soprano and Soprano)
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: and
he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and
carry them in his bosom, and gently lead
those that are with young. Come unto Him,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon
you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and
lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.
Chorus
His yoke is easy, and His burthen is light.
INTERMISSION
Part Two
Chorus
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away
the sin of the world.
Air (Mezzo-soprano)
He was despised and rejected of men, a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He
gave his back to the smiters, and His cheeks
to them that plucked off the hair. He hid not
His face from shame and spitting.
Chorus
Surely, He hath borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows; He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him.
Chorus
And with His stripes we are healed.
Chorus
All we like sheep have gone astray. We have
turned everyone to his own way. And the
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Recitative (Tenor)
All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn.
They shoot out their lips, and shake their
heads, saying:
Chorus
He trusted in God that He would deliver Him,
let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him.
Recitative (Tenor)
Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full
of heaviness. He looked for some to have
pity on Him, but there was no man, neither
found He any to comfort Him.
Air (Tenor)
Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like
unto His sorrow!
Recitative (Tenor)
He was cut off out of the land of the living;
for the transgressions of Thy people was
He stricken.
Air (Tenor)
But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell;
nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to
see corruption.
Air (Bass)
Why do the nations so furiously rage
together, and why do the people imagine a
vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up,
and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord, and against His anointed.
Chorus
Let us break their bonds asunder and cast
away their yokes from us.
Recitative (Tenor)
He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh
them to scorn; the Lord shall have them
in derision.
Air (Tenor)
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;
thou shalt dash them in pieces like a
potter’s vessel.
Chorus
Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent
reigneth. Hallelujah! The Kingdom of this
world is become the Kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever
and ever. King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Part Three
Air (Soprano)
I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
And tho’ worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risen
from the dead, the first fruits of them
that sleep.
Chorus
Since by man came death, by man came
also the resurrection of the dead. For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive.
Recitative (Bass)
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be chang’d in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the
last trumpet.
Air (Bass)
The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall
be raised, incorruptible.
Chorus
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and
hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to
receive power and riches and wisdom and
strength and honour and glory and blessing.
Blessing, and honour, glory, and power, be
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.