'An Evening With the Messiah, Opus 2' Wednesday, December 19, 2012, 7 PM at Reid Temple Church, Glenn Dale, MD

Richard C. Odom

Karen Clark Sheard

Excerpts from a release by Karen Jones:

Performance Date:  Wednesday, December 19, 2012, 7:00 pm

Guest Artist:  Karen Clark Sheard

Where:  Reid Temple AME Church

             11400 Glenn Dale Blvd.

             Glenn Dale, MD  20769

Artistic Director:  Arranged, Adapted and Conducted by Richard C. Odom

Messiah consists of three sections. The first foretells the Redeemer’s birth, followed by descriptions of the Holy nativity. Part One ends with His yoke is easy, His burden is light. This section has become known as the “Christmas Portion” of Messiah, the section from which we derive Opus 2. In Part Two Händel’s recounts the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus and ends with the familiar Hallelujah chorus. One of Händel’s servants reports having come upon Händel immediately after he had composed this piece, and heard him exclaim, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!” At this point in the oratorio, during one of the first London performances, King George II rose from his seat. Traditionally, audiences repeat this practice ever since. Part Three presents the spiritual messages of Christ’s teachings, beginning with the aria, I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, and ends with a final chorus, Amen.

Hallelujah! Inspiring and entertaining, An Evening With The Messiah: The Ultimate Aesthetic Composite, Opus 2 combines passionate singing and a stunning combination of outstanding musicians. This performance includes the entire Reid Temple Christian Fine Arts Ministry from both the Glenn Dale and North locations. An eclectic collection of soloists charges this celebration into an unforgettable experience, including an opportunity for audience participation. An Evening With The Messiah: The Ultimate Aesthetic Composite, Opus 2 embraces music for every generation.

Through its 250-year history, several composers, musicians and visionaries have transformed Händel’s Messiah. The themes and the content remain constant, but this adaptation incorporates style changes in some of the pieces places the message into a present vernacular. An Evening With The Messiah: The Ultimate Aesthetic Composite, Opus 2 instills hope in the entire audience. Again, Richard Odom masterfully wields the baton for tonight’s performance. As Associate Minister of Music and Artistic Director of this project, Odom arranged a composite of Händel’s New Young Messiah, Händel’s Messiah – A Soulful Celebration and the classical oratorio by Georg Frederick Händel with libretto by Charles Jennens. Produced by the entire Reid Temple Christian Fine Arts Ministry, this ecumenical rendering of the 18th-century English oratorio proves enjoyable for everyone. 

Karen Jones