Programme 1994 – Messiah

Napier Civic Choir

presents

Handel’s
MESSIAH

with
Soloists:   Judith Howlett (soprano)
Phillipa Reade (contralto)
Raphael Caccioppoli (tenor)
Richard Weston (bass)
Organist:   Vincent James,   Trumpet:   Maurice Reid
Orchestra Leader:   Caroline Dewson

Conductor:   Gary Bowler

Sunday, 4th December, 1994 at 8:15pm
St John’s Cathedral, Napier

Admission by Programme:   $15   ($6 Student)

PART I – THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH

1.   OVERTURE. Grave – Allegro moderato

2.   RECITATIVE
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 a highway for our God.

3.   AIR
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

4.   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.

5.   RECITATIVE
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 who 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.

6.   AIR
But who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth?
For he is like a refiner’s fire.

7.   CHORUS
And he shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

8.   RECITATIVE
Behold! a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel,
God with us.

9.   AIR WITH CHORUS
O thou the tellest good tidings to Zion, get the up into a high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy 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.

10.   RECITATIVE
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.

11.   AIR
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.

12.   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, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

13.   PASTORAL SYMPHONY

14.   RECITATIVE
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
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.

15.   RECITATIVE
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.

16.   RECITATIVE
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:

17.   CHORUS
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill towards men.

18.   AIR
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 seek peace unto the heathen.

19.   RECITATIVE
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

20.   AIR
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them to his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Come unto him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and he shall 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.

21.   CHORUS
His yoke is easy and his burthen is light.

INTERVAL

PART II – HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION

22.   CHORUS
Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

23.   AIR
He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows.

24.   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.

29.   RECITATIVE
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.

30.   AIR
Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow.

31.   RECITATIVE
He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of thy people was he stricken.

32.   AIR
But thou didst not leave his soul in hell; nor didst thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.

33.   CHORUS
Lift up your heads O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in.
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. Who is the king of glory?
The Lord of Hosts, he is the king of glory.

37.   CHORUS
The Lord gave the word, great was the company of the preachers.

38.   AIR
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

39.   CHORUS
Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.

40.   AIR
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.

41.   CHORUS
Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.

44.   CHORUS
Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah!

PART III – PRAYER AND CELEBRATION

45.   AIR
I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though 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.

46.   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.

47.   RECITATIVE
Behold I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

48.   AIR
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53.   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 the sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb for ever and ever.

Amen.

(The numbers of the recitatives, airs and choruses are from the Novello editions of the Messiah.)

The NAPIER CIVIC CHOIR would like to thank all those who have assisted with tonight’s performance. In particular, they would like to thank the Dean and Vestry of St John’s for allowing the use of the cathedral, Cox World Travel Ltd, and those who have assisted with ‘front of house’ arrangements.

New members are invited to join the choir. Practices are on Tuesdays at 7:30pm in the Cathedral Hall. Telephone the Secretary, Mrs Gay Appleman, (Tel. 835 4090) for further deatils. [details]

Forthcoming concerts during 1995 with the NAPIER CIVIC CHOIR are:

SUNDAY, 2ND APRIL, 2.30PM – Requiem by John Rutter and music by internationally renowned, Napier born composer David Hamilton with Woodford House Chapel Choir and Karamu High School Choir.
THURSDAY, 20TH APRIL, 8PM – Orchestral and Choral Concert with Christchurch Youth Orchestra (including Te Deum by Dvorak)
SUNDAY, 15TH JULY 2.30PM – Elijah by Mendelssohn (prior to the Napier Civic Choir singing this with other choirs in Tauranga and a gala performance in Auckland with Malvina Major and Rodney McCann)
SUNDAY, 29TH OCTOBER – Creation by Haydn with Hastings and Gisborne Choral Societies and conductor Peter Godfrey (to be repeated in Gisborne the following weekend)
SUNDAY, 10TH DECEMBER – Christmas Concert including Britten’s St Nicolas (with Children’s Choirs).

(Check local papers for times and details as programmes are subject to change without notice)
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