Apollo Chorus’ “Messiah” back on track at DePaul
When the Apollo Chorus first began presenting its annual Christmastime Messiah in 1879, the Chicago River still flowed into Lake Michigan, the Chicago Cubs were known as the White Stockings, and the city’s tallest building (at 266 feet) was the Holy Family Church on Roosevelt Road.
Amidst all the change in the city’s landscape, Apollo’s holiday tradition persists. From 2003-2022, the Harris Theater hosted the yuletide performances. The chorus began exploring new venues last year, with a disastrous outing in the cavernous acoustic of Holy Name Cathedral. This year they landed in friendlier confines at DePaul University’s Gannon Concert Hall on Saturday night, with a solid outing under the encouraging leadership of music director Stephen Alltop.
The evening got underway with what proved to be a high point with tenor Martin Luther Clark’s “Comfort ye my people” and “Every valley.” Having made a strong impression as Luis in Lyric Opera’s Champion in January, Clark’s powerful, burnished tenor launched the performance in style. His singing had a force and purity ideally suited to both the idiom and subject matter, leaving one wishing the tenor had more assignments in Handel’s score.
There was further luxury casting with mezzo Kayleigh Decker, fresh from her portrayal of Cherubino in Lyric’s recently completed run of The Marriage of Figaro. Decker’s voice is a luminous, bell-like instrument, with strong presence across registers. She particularly brought out the pathos of “He was despised,” embellishing with understated ornamentation in the da capo return.
Soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg possessed a lighter, more chamber-sized timbre than her operatic colleagues, though still well-suited to the repertoire. Both her singing and stage presence Saturday tended to be mannered and somewhat gestural, which was effective in the ebullience of “Rejoice greatly” but undermined the reflective serenity one hopes for in “I know that my Redeemer liveth.”
Bass Stephen Clark, making his Apollo debut, proved a weak link among the soloists. His voice had a warbly, unfocused quality, that compromised the furor of “Why do the nations” and the authority of “The trumpet shall sound,” though trumpeter Ryan Berndt provided a clarion obligato in the latter.
The Chorus shone throughout the evening, expertly prepared by Alltop, and singing with commitment and an inviting collective sonority. Conducting without a score, Alltop kept the performance moving along—a vital service to any Messiah. Though some of the brisker tempos stretched the limits of his volunteer charges’ capacity, they responded gamely, bringing clear articulation even in Handel’s fleetest contrapuntal passages.
The orchestra of area freelancers provided supple support to the vocal proceedings, and created an elegant glow in the purely instrumental Pifa. Concertmaster Jeri-Lou Zike’s violin obligati were fitfully pitchy, but she was a deft leader of the small consort and in sync with Alltop, keeping the performance unified.
The Apollo Chorus repeats Messiah 2 p.m. Sunday at Evanston’s Alice Millar Chapel. apollochorus.org
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