James Kim Founding Artistic Director

Complete Watkins-Shaw Edition

December 20th Performance, 7:00pmTrinity United Methodist Church1820 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202

December 21st Performance, 7:00pmFirst United Methodist Church1421 Spruce Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302

December 22nd Performance, 4:00pmGriffin Concert Hall1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524

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MessiahHandel’s

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ProgramPART ONE

1 Sinfonia (Overture)

2 Comfort ye my people - Recit.

3 Ev'ry valley shall be exalted - Air

4 And the glory of the Lord - Chorus

5 Thus saith the Lord - Recit.

6 But who may abide the day of his coming? - Air

7 And he shall purify - Chorus

8 Behold, a virgin shall conceive - Recit.

9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion - Air & Chorus

10 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth - Recit.

11 The people that walked in darkness - Air

12 For unto us a child is born - Chorus

13 Pifa ( 'Pastoral Symphony' )

14a There were shepherds abiding in the field - Recit.

14b And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them - Recit.

15 And the angel said unto them - Recit.

16 And suddenly there was with the angel - Recit.

17 Glory to God - Chorus

18 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion - Air

19 Then shall the eyes of the blind - Recit.

20 He shall feed his flock - Air

21 His yoke is easy, and his burthen is light - Chorus

Intermission

PART TWO22 Behold the Lamb of God - Chorus

23 He was despised - Air

24 Surely he hath borne our griefs - Chorus

25 And with his stripes we are healed - Chorus

26 All we like sheep have gone astray - Chorus

27 All they that see him laugh him to scorn - Recit.

28 He trusted in God - Chorus

29 Thy rebuke hath broken his heart - Recit.

30 Behold, and see if there be any sorrow - Air

31 He was cut off out of the land of the living - Recit.

32 But thou didst not leave his soul in hell - Air

33 Lift up your heads, O ye gates - Chorus

34 Unto which of the angels said he at any time - Recit.

35 Let all the angels of God worship him - Chorus

36 Thou art gone up on high - Air

37 The Lord gave the word - Chorus

38 How beautiful are the feet - Air

39 Their sound is gone out - Chorus

40 Why do the nations so furiously rage together? - Air

41 Let us break their bonds asunder - Chorus

42 He that dwelleth in heaven - Recit.

43 Thou shalt break them - Air

44 Hallelujah - Chorus

PART THREE

45 I know that my redeemer liveth - Air

46 Since by man came death - Chorus

47 Behold, I tell you a mystery - Recit.

48 The trumpet shall sound - Air

49 Then shall be brought to pass - Recit.

50 O death, where is thy sting? - Duet

51 But thanks be to God - Chorus

52 If God be for us - Air for Soprano

53 Worthy is the lamb that was slain - Chorus

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Program Notes“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” First proclaimed by Old Testament prophet Isaiah, this call to action was a missional cause for eighteenth century scholar Charles Jennens. On July 10, 1741 he sat down to write a letter to poet Edward Holdsworth:

Handel says he will do nothing next winter, but I hope I shall persuade him to set an-other scripture collection I have made for him ... I hope he will lay out his whole genius and skill upon it, that the composition may excel all his former compositions, as the subject excels every other subject. The subject is Messiah ...

It was some months before George Frederic Handel composed the music to accom-pany Jennens’s libretto and most of another year before the work was first performed. Though Jennens was not completely satisfied with the final product, few since would be so bold as to suggest that Messiah demonstrates anything less than Handel’s “whole genius and skill.” One of the most beloved works in the choral repertoire, Handel’s Messiah is perhaps the best known and most performed, studied, debated, and written about composition in the history of Western art music. A staple now in concert halls and church services during the Christmas and Easter seasons, its appeal is multi-faceted. Unlike Handel’s previous oratorios, the story is not a narrative with a specific plot and well-defined characters singing solo roles. As such, the nearly two and a half hour work can be produced in its entirety or redacted for amateur choral societies and church choirs in a la carte fashion to suit the needs of individual organizations. Its music is accessible to both audiences and performers, and its original English text sets it apart from many large choral works of its era. Yet, it is Handel’s music that allows the text to transcend mere words, exemplifying “the mystery of Godliness,” a phrase inscribed by Jennens on the first production’s libretto.

Messiah was not Handel’s first oratorio. The twenty-five year old German composer first came to England in 1710 to offer up his first love to the London stage: Italian opera. Eventually he became the city’s preeminent producer of dramatic musical works. Unfortunately, in the 1730s ill health, changing public tastes, and a competing opera company nearly put Handel out of business. That is, until the composer resurrected a genre he had broached several times before. Oratorio, an Italian genre developed in the sixteenth century, was similar to opera. It featured arias, recitative, and choruses that told a dramatic story. However, oratorios were based on sacred subjects and per-formed without costumes and scenery, while operas were secular in nature and took advantage of all the forces of the theatrical stage. As such, oratorio was a much more financially efficient variety of theatre and fit Handel’s needs well. The oratorio Saul re-ceived favorable reviews in London upon its 1739 premiere and was revived by Handel frequently thereafter. Saul was soon followed by the oratorios Israel in Egypt, L’Allegro, il Penseroso, and Messiah.

Handel set Jennens’s Messiah text over the course of twenty-four days in August and September 1741. The premiere took place in April 1742 in Dublin. Prior to the first perfor-mance, Handel shrewdly presented several concerts featuring his music, whetting the public’s appetite. He then opened up his dress rehearsal to select community members, further heightening anticipation of the event. That Messiah was to be a benefit perfor-mance for local charities only added to the effectiveness of planned pre-performance marketing ploys. The premiere sold out and was a rousing success.

The 1743 London premiere was not as highly regarded, partially because of resistance to the presentation of such sacred material in a secular space. However, after several more attempts, a highly acclaimed 1750 performance at the city’s Foundling Hospital cemented Messiah’s place in the hearts of London music aficionados. Handel conduct-ed several dozen performances of the work himself throughout the remainder of his career and would have been pleased that the 25th anniversary of his death was marked by a Messiah celebration at Westminster Abbey, the site of the great composer’s grave. The work has been performed there numerous times since.

Messiah is set in three acts, the standard operatic format that Handel adopted for his oratorios. However, the source material for Messiah was different from the Old Tes-tament stories the composer had previously set. The first act (or “Part the First,” as indicated in the score) recalls the prophesy of the coming of Christ and his nativity. Listen for the Pifa, in which the orchestra imitates the music of the shepherds who were told of Christ’s birth. “Part the Second” presents the Passion story and the Resurrection and ends with the work’s most famous selection, the chorus “Hallelujah.” The final part opens with the air “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth,” one of seven scriptural funeral sentences established in the Church of England’s first Book of Common Prayer (1549). It remains part of the Anglican burial service to this day. Settings of New Testament verses that speak to Christ’s authority and victory over death follow. The oratorio con-cludes with a choral affirmation taken from the Book of Revelation, “Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain” and one of the most breathtaking “Amen” sequences ever written.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, composers such as Mozart began reor-chestrating Messiah for a more standard classical orchestra. Since then, audiences have grown accustomed to performances with large instrumental ensembles and imposing choirs. Tonight’s Colorado Bach Ensemble presentation utilizes the musical score real-ized by Harold Watkins Shaw in 1959 and reissued in 1992, a more intimate setting that mirrors Handel’s Baroque vision.

Shaw was a twentieth century musicologist who devoted much of his career to careful and thoughtful study of Messiah. His scholarly performance edition of the work was based on the two scores in Handel’s possession at the time of the Dublin premiere. The first was the composer’s original autograph, now held at the British Library. The second was a copied conducting score that Handel used in performances of the oratorio for the rest of his career (currently in the collection of Oxford’s Bodleian Library). It would be logical, therefore, to assume that Shaw’s edition constitutes an authoritative version for performers who want to present Messiah just as Handel might have.

However, a definitive version cannot exist, as Handel himself adapted the work for each performance given, as indicated in his conducting score. Unsure of the forces available for the Dublin premiere, the composer originally wrote the work for chorus, strings, continuo, trumpets, and timpani. Soloists were chosen from among the choristers. For later London performances, Handel added parts for oboes, bassoons, and horns, and transposed arias to fit different voice types. The Watkins Shaw edition, in an attempt to remain faithful to the composer, presents variants and alternate versions of specific pieces, along with editorial suggestions, allowing an artistic director to make choices best suited to his or her ensemble. Indeed, that was the course Handel himself followed.

Dr. K. Dawn Grapes

Assistant Professor of Music History, Colorado State University

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The DirectorAs the artistic director of the Colorado Bach Ensemble,James Kimhas dedicated himself to performing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries at the highest artistic level for American audiences. He has studied and worked with some of the greatest Bach interpreters of our time, such as Phillipe Herreweghe and Helmuth Rilling, with whom he spent

two years in Stuttgart, Germany. Building on the rich history of Bach scholarship and performance, James Kim brings his own approach and commitment to the music he performs in Colo-rado. A recent review captures Kim’s desire to perform and teach the music of Bach: “James Kim is one of the few conductors that I have ever known who has the stamina and courage to pres-ent a lecture concert… I am sure that this is extremely useful for the members of the audience at large who might not have been trained musicians. I know they appreciated it for they gave The Colorado Bach Ensemble a standing ovation. Both the lecture and the performance were superb.”

James Kim is also the Director of Choral Activities at Colorado State University.

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Soloists

Awet Andemichael | SopranoSoprano Awet Andemicael has been hailed for her “vivid musi-cal personality” and “quick, clean, and silvery” coloratura (Bos-ton Globe), her “honeyed tone” (San Francisco Classical Voice), and “fine comic interplay and […] superb singing” (Washington Times). Ms. Andemicael has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Nashville, Jacksonville, Richmond and Memphis under the batons of many noted conductors, including Charles Dutoit, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Rafael Frűhbeck de Burgos, and John Rutter. A versatile artist, Ms. Andemicael has performed to acclaim in recital, opera and as an oratorio singer both here and abroad. Her recent concert debut in Japan featured her singing Messiah with the Bach Collegium Japan under Masaaki Suzuki, with whom she also sang Buxtehude Cantatas for the Great Organ Music at Yale Concert Series. She has also sung Messiah with Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society. Awet Andemi-cael has won numerous competitions, including the Metropoli-tan Opera Competition and the Oratorio Society of New York Solo Competition at Carnegie Hall. She holds degrees from Harvard University, the University of California at Irvine, and Yale University’s Divinity School and Institute of Sacred Music.

Emily Marvosh | Alto Contralto Emily Marvosh has been praised for her “flexible technique and ripe color,” and “smooth, apparently effortless vocal display”. Following her solo debut at Boston’s Symphony Hall in 2011 she has been a frequent soloist with the Handel and Haydn Society under the direction of Harry Christophers. Other recent solo appearances for Ms. Marvosh have included Handel’s Messiah, and La Resurrezione, Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus and Magnificat, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Salve Regina, Offenbach’s La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Rusalka. Ms. Marvosh has given world premiere performances with Juventas New Music and Inter-mezzo Chamber Opera, and in 2013, she created the roles of Viviane and The Mother in the world premiere of Hugo Kaud-er’s Merlin with the Hugo Kauder Society in New Haven, CT. Past and future engagements include solo appearances with the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmut Rilling, the Bachakad-emie Stuttgart, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Tucson Chamber Artists, Boston Camerata, the New York Virtuoso Singers, the Yale Choral Artists, and Cambridge Concentus. Ms. Marvosh holds degrees from Central Michigan University and Boston University.

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SoloistsJoseph Mikolaj | TenorAs tenor soloist in the Colorado Bach Ensemble’s inaugural performances (of Bach’s B-Minor Mass), audiences will remember the artistry of Joseph Mikolaj. In 2009 Mr. Mikolaj was a guest artist at the Oregon Bach Festival under the baton of Helmuth Rilling. In Florence, he sang the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion under the baton of Masaaki Suzuki. Other solo assignments have included Bach’s Weihnachtsorato-rium and B Minor Mass, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Alexander’s Feast, and Honegger’s King David, Handel’s Messiah, Eberlin’s Requiem and Mass in a minor, and Benjamin Britten’s Abraham and Isaac. Opera roles he has sung include Nanki-poo in The Mikado, Frederick in Pirates of Penzance, The Defendant in Trial by Jury, Bill in A Hand of Bridge, Goro in Madama Butterfly, Little Bat in Susannah, and Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro. Mr. Mikolaj received his Masters of Music in Vocal Performance, concen-trating in Early Music, Oratorio and Chamber Ensemble from Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, and his Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of St. Thomas.

Andrew Garland | BaritoneAudiences at last year’s Colorado Bach Ensemble perfor-mances of Messiah will remember the stirring contribution of baritone Andrew Garland. Among his many accolades, Garland was saluted by Opera News for his “coloratura [which] bor-dered on the phenomenal as he dashed through the music’s intricacies... offering plenty of elegance and glamour in his smooth acting.” Opera engagements in recent seasons include the Atlanta Opera as Schaunard in La Bohéme, Arizona Opera as Ping in Turandot, and Boston Lyric Opera as Starveling in a new production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. He sang the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera New Jersey, Dancairo in Carmen with Boston Lyric Opera, and Figaro in Il barbieri di Siviglia with Knoxville Opera. In addition, he recently portrayed Hermann in Las contes d’Hoffmann and The Gamekeeper in Rusalka, both with Boston Lyric Opera, as well as Dandini in La Cenerentola with the Fort Worth Opera and Opera Company of North Carolina, where he displayed “an attractive baritone and an adroit sense of timing.” Mr Garland is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

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Chorus MembersSopranoElise Greenwood BahrEvanne BrowneLaura ChesterRebecca L. Faust-FrodlJoAnn Gudvangen-BrownSara MichaelMary Sandell

AltoGenevieve BaglioLaura BegleyMarjorie BundayJane Burgchardt WrightGloria ChoiTegan PalmerAmy Sager

TenorDerek ChesterJohn GrauCJ JeffreyCody LaunWestin SorrelJohn Wright

BassStuart DameronSeaHwa JungDaekwang KimChristopher MaunuNathan PayantMatthew SommerMatthew Weissenbuehler

Orchestra Members1st ViolinHee-Jung Kim, Concertmaster Chris JusellDesiree Cedeño-SuarezNatalie Koob

2nd ViolinMargaret Soper Gutierrez, PrincipalChristine ShortJubal Fulks

Viola Barbara Hamilton, Principal Isaac White

Cello Carole Whitney, PrincipalBecky Kutz Osterberg

Double BassForest Greenough, Principal

OboeMonica Hanulik, PrincipalMiriam Kapner

Bassoon David Schwarz, Principal

Trumpet Andrew Bishop, Principal Brian Brown

Percussion Eric Hollenbeck, Principal

Keyboard Kenrick Mervine, Principal

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Board of DirectorsHoward Skinner, President • Lee Cord, Treasurer • David Pyle, Secretary Florian Hild • John Parfrey • Michelle Stanley • Michael Thaut Cynthia Vaughn • James Kim, ex officio • Kaitlin Miles, ex officio

Our Patrons Season SponsorDr. Donald K. Park II

Maestro’s Circle - $5000 and moreColorado State University, Griffin Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. Howard Skinner.

Benefactors - $1000 to $2499Armstrong Hotel, Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau, Stewart and Sheron Golden, Magnolia Music Studio.

Patrons - $500 to $999Barbara Cavarra, Kristen and Lee Cord, Dr. James Kim, David and Tina Pyle, Dr.Michael Thaut

Associates - $250 to $499Joe D. Francis, Grant and Grace Kim, John and Mary Ann Parfrey, Arturo Steely

Fellows - $100 to $249Frank and Elizabeth Amigo, Loretta A. Carlson and Dr. Aida Sahud, Sydney Enders, Norman and Pam Haglund, Michael Harr, Florian Hild, Inkworks, Karen Lampke, Tom and Sheri Linnell, Jerry and Marilyn Kopp, Donelson Lawry, Bernard Levinger, Rick and Eileen Parfrey, Peter and Mary Schultz, George Splittgerber, Ward Swinson, Joe and Beverly Winsett

Friends - $1 to $99Rogene Buchholtz, Carl Bunderson, Paul Falk, Mary Flammer, Fromme Custom Solutions, Barbara Hamilton, Deborah Hart, Robin Hause, Cynthia Henning, Nora Jacquez, Ila Leavy, Merlin and Laurie Kooiman, John T. Lake, Stephen and Magdalena Levin, John Locker, Lynn D. Mason, R. C. Michael Company, Jeffrey Ken Smith, Mary Beth Solano, Sorell Family, John and Tracy Stackhouse, Fred and Jean Starr, Trent Stiles, John Thompson, Mark Thompson, Ginny R. Threefoot, Trois Coeurs Foundation

Yours gifts are greatly appreciated. We sincerely apologize for any errors or omissions.

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DESIGN

Upcoming ConcertsColorado Bach Festival, June 6 – 14, 2014Bach’s St. John Passion, BWV 245June 6, 7:30pm (Bethany Lutheran Church)June 7, 7:30pm (Griffin Concert Hall, UCA)

Bach’s The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080Joining CBE is the Colorado Chamber Players playing The Art of Fugue for String Quartet.June 8, 3:00pm (Organ Recital Hall, UCA)June 9, 7:30pm (Bethany Lutheran Church)

Handel program:Laudate pueri, HWV 236; Nisi Dominus, HWV 238; Dixit Dominus, HWV 232; Gloria, HWV dessetJune 13, 7:30pm (Bethany Lutheran Church)June 14, 7:30pm (Griffin Concert Hall, UCA)

Special ThanksDr. Todd Queen, Colorado State University, • Dr. Rick Miranda Eileen Krebs • Shane Miles, MDesign • Kaitlin Miles • Dr. K. Dawn Grapes

Design & artwork by Shane Miles, MDesign

MUSIC STUDIO

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February 1st, 2:30 p.m. Schubert Cello Quintet, with Thomas Heinrich, Guest Cello / First Universalist Church, Denver

February 22nd, 7:30 p.m. Schubert Cello Quintet, with Thomas Heinrich, Guest Cello / Foothills Art Center, Golden

February 23rd, 4:00 p.m.Schubert Cello Quintet, with Thomas Heinrich, Guest Cello / First United Presbyterian Church, Brighton, Fine Arts at Four

March 4th and 8th, 10 and 11 a.m.Music of Katrina Wreede, Butterfly Pavilion and Boulder Public Library

May 9th and 10thDerek Bermel, Clarinet/Composer with the CCP A Short History of the Universe and Mulatosh Stomp St. John’s Cathedral, Denver and Boulder Library

June 8th and 9th J.S. Bach Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 for string quartet / Bethany Lutheran Church, Denver and Colorado State University, Ft. Collins

www.coloradochamberplayers.org

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Boulder ChoraleOur 48th Season

James Kim, Artistic DirectorFirst United Methodist Church1421 Spruce Street, Boulder

7:30 pm

www.boulderchorale.org | 303.554.7692

Annelies – The Anne Frank oratorioComposer: James Whitbourn

Millions have read The Diary of Anne Frank and considered the beauty and cruelty of our world and the amazing resilience of the human spirit. With “tender respect,” composer James Whitbourn has created Annelies, an oratorio inspired by Anne’s diaries. Annelies had its world premiere in 2005 in London, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and received strong acclaim.

Annelies is a 75-minute choral work divided into 14 movements for soprano soloist, choir and instrumentalists. The libretto is compiled and translated by Melanie Challenger from The Diary of Anne Frank. Annelies is the full forename of Anne Frank.

The Boulder Chorale sings the regional premiere of Annelies—a beautifully moving piece of music which has also been scored for the unique combination of four solo players—clarinet, violin, cello and piano. We’re pleased to welcome our featured guest soloist, University of Colorado Assistant Professor of Voice, Soprano Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson.

Boulder Chorale

www.ColoradoBachEnsemble.org