Last month, award-winning Toronto-based opera collective Against the Grain Theater released a new performance of the holiday classic, Handel's Messiah, with a Canadian twist. In keeping with the group's mission to present a fresh, innovative take on classical music, the updated performance celebrates Canada's diversity, including passages sung by Indigenous singers and members of other minority communities.
Canadian Studies reached out to former Berkeley staff member Elsa Trantor for a review of the performance, included below.
The performance can be viewed for free through January 31 here.
Review: Messiah/Complex by Against the Grain Theater
Badly in need of uplifting, musically and otherwise, I was pleased when a Canadian friend recommended Against the Grain Theater’s production of Messiah (called Messiah/Complex), which is streaming free-of-charge for all those who need a boost. It did the job in a big way.
This small organization, the first such group to be artists-in-residence at the Canadian Opera Company, has put together a magnificent visual and aural production. It included 12 soloists, singing in 6 languages, several of them Indigenous; four choirs; and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The performance was directed by Joel Ivany and Renellta Arluk and the conductor of the symphony was Johannes Debus.
Each section of Messiah was filmed in a different province of Canada and the scenery was magnificent, from the British Columbia coast to that of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, with mountains and prairies in between. There are scenes in churches, cathedrals, an ice skating rink, forests, plains, and urban centers. The mix of soloist, orchestra, chorus and landscape was ever changing. From the very beginning, with the Toronto symphony orchestra tuning up in Koerner Hall, to the closing scene of a rehearsal of the Halifax Camerata singers in a small church, I was captivated.
The performance began with an explanation of its purpose and its dedication to the claims of Indigenous peoples on the land, and to recognizing the harm that has befallen them through colonization.
The twelve soloists were all excellent and passionate in their performances. They were a most diverse group of professional, semi-professional, and amateur singers and represented many tribal groups and nationalities—Canadians all. Some of the choirs sang with masks on—amazing what a good sound they got with that handicap. And some of them sang outside in public places, keeping an appropriate distance from one another. The orchestra handled the pandemic requirements with masks and plexiglass separations (for the wind instruments).
The technical challenges involved must have been daunting, but the whole performance came across quite seamlessly. Kudos to all involved.
The production is available for streaming through the end of January. I watched it for free the first time and then was so impressed that I sent them some money and watched it twice more. The Canadians should be justifiably proud of their accomplishments.
Elsa Tranter
Berkeley, CA