Brownwood’s historic Lyric Theatre will reopen this week to the epic sounds of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” This week’s “soft reopening” of the century-old theater will feature two performances of “Messiah” at 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
Tickets cost $10 each, and are available online at www.brownwoodlyrictheatre.com. Tickets will also be available at the door. These two performances will have open seating. The box office will open at 6:30 p.m. each night, and seating will begin at 7 p.m.
The Lyric Performing Arts Company has scheduled its “grand reopening” for Dec. 11, when the Cole Porter musical comedy “Anything Goes” begins a 10-performance run. Reservations for “Anything Goes” are also available on that website.
A string ensemble will accompany the choir, numbering more than 100 voices for “Messiah,” under the direction of Dr. Monte Garrett, professor of music and director of choral activities at Howard Payne University.
Soloists will be Dr. Celeste Church, soprano; Dr. Diana Ellis, alto; Dr. Greg Church, tenor; and Jeff Woods, bass.
Dub Wilson, co-chair of the Lyric Performing Arts Company’s board, said audiences will be “amazingly blessed” by the performances of “Messiah” Monday and Tuesday.
“Deb and I, as co-chairs of the LPAC Board, were completing some last minute projects at the Lyric last Sunday evening and happened to be in the auditorium during the ‘first’ rehearsal for Messiah,” Wilson said. “It occurred to us that while we have sponsored performances of ‘Messiah’ selections for several years, this will be a ‘first’ for the Central Texas area for several reasons.”
“First, because of the scope of the choir which will involve some great musicians from a wide variety of school, community and church organizations. Let us assure you that they sounded phenomenal,” he said.
“Second, it will be conducted by Dr. Monte Garrett, an extremely accomplished choral director, and you will hear some great interpretation that he is bringing to the choir for this performance.”
“Third,” Wilson continued, “you will get to enjoy the performance at the first event in the newly remodeled Lyric Theatre. Let us assure you again that we believe you will be amazingly blessed by hearing this piece of wonderful choral music performed in an acoustic environment that Central Texas has never had the opportunity to enjoy locally. Please be sure that you don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Wilson added that the only thing that prevents even more singers from being invited is space limitations. Work is being completed for the set of “Anything Goes.“
The Lyric Performing Arts Company’s community choir has made a performance of the Christmas portion of “Messiah” a Central Texas tradition for more than a decade. This year, however, in anticipation of the concert being held in the renovated Lyric Theatre, the choir has been expanded to more than 100 voices by including the Howard Payne Concert Choir, the HPU University Singers, and members of the Brownwood High and Early High school choirs. As is also tradition, the performance will conclude with the rousing “Hallelujah” chorus.
Several portions of “Messiah” are among the most familiar of all Western sacred music, and it is certainly the best-known work of its composer. Perhaps the most famous portion is the “Hallelujah” chorus. Lyric Artistic Director Dr. Nancy Jo Humfeld, who is chair of the HPU Department of Theatre, said before previous year’s performances that it is tradition for audiences to stand during its performance.
One explanation is that the king (King George II) was so inspired that he rose in recognition of the majesty of the music and the chorus’ declaration of Christ as the King of Kings, and it was the custom of the time for subjects to stand whenever the king stood. But, other explanations have suggested that King George just needed to stretch his legs during the lengthy performance of the entire composition.
“Messiah” was first performed during Lent in Dublin in 1742, but it has become popular in America during Advent — the religious season leading to Christmas. For the performances this week, the “Christmas portion” will be sung without the Easter and Judgment Day portions.
Historians explain that Handel, a versatile theatrical composer of the baroque period, was born in Germany, but enjoyed success in Italy before settling in England. In 1741, Handel was so inspired reading the Old and New Testaments that he was overcome by their power. The music began dancing and exploding within him, he later confessed, and he shut himself in and began working night and day, often forgetting to eat, non-stop for some four weeks.
Historical accounts say Handel’s servants could hear his sobs and prayers as he labored over the inspired text, at one point telling them he had seen the face of God. He finished the original libretto and score in 28 days, and in the decades that followed, he revised it repeatedly sometimes to customize it for the performers available for concerts.
Music scholars generally agree that Handel composed the masterpiece by himself and completed it in less than a month, so it’s difficult to argue with the conclusion that the work was inspired
