Messiah at PBO

* Notes * 
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's latest offering of Händel's Messiah was very jolly. Nicholas McGegan conducted the third of four concerts last Sunday in Berkeley in his usual chipper way. The orchestra was together and in tune, as was the chorus. The soloists included soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor John McVeigh, and bass Tyler Duncan. The overall impression was that of airy lightness, though all could be heard.

* Tattling * 
A woman in Row O made a request for me to switch from my aisle seat with my companion so that she could see the stage, because I am rather short. Naturally her companion inanely exclaimed that the piece was in English once the tenor started. A cellular phone rang during the aria "He was despised and rejected of men."