The future of Handel?s Messiah is here. The American Opera Theatre will perform its first fully staged production of Handel’s Messiah at the Baltimore Museum of Art with the Chandos Singers of the Handel Choir of Baltimore.
Known for his dramatic reinterpretations, Timothy Nelson, Artistic Director and founder of the AOT, said that re-imagining Messiah was on his mind for a while. “We hear this work every Christmas. Over the last three years, it started to appear to me in the possibility of a dramatic narrative,” he said.
AOT’s operatic production of Messiah takes the work’s focus beyond Christian belief to explore the human side of Handel’s piece. Sopranos Sherezade Panthaki and Bonnie McNaughton, mezzo-soprano Kristen Dubeinion-Smith, tenor Aaron Sheehan and bass-baritone David Newman, along with the Ignoti Del Orchestra, stage the performance.
Working with Messiah is both beautiful and difficult, Nelson said. “What we do is not blasphemous against the text or the work itself, but it does go through a lot of darkness. People have come to think of Messiah as a feel-good holiday favorite, and when they come to ours and see dark elements, it conflicts with their sensibility.”
Panthaki plays the angel that appears to the characters in the show.
“What’s interesting is that these people are inspired to behave and react in a way that, as a group, would be unconscionable or objectionable to them as individuals,” she said. “It’s such a metaphor for life and the way we behave.”
“Messiah is a beloved work, and holds many holiday memories for people,” Panthaki continued. “Our goal was not to detract from that, but provide a fresh perspective, a different narrative that invited new interpretation.”
Nelson said that while thereis some reservation with audience members at first, the reception after the show is warm. “The piece for me is about the redeeming power of faith. What makes this version so rewarding is that there are un-pleasantries to travel through to get to the reward. In the traditional Christmas version, there’s no earning it, because the dark stuff typically gets cut out.”
The work is extremely thought provoking. “It’s important that people come with an open mind,” Nelson said. “The larger story follows the dramatic arc of Handel?s intention, but we play with the meaning of the text throughout.”
IF YOU GO
American Opera Theatre presents Handel?s Messiah
WHERE: Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore
WHEN: 8 tonight; 3 p.m. Sunday
TICKETS: $15 to $30
