Handel’s Messiah, one of the most beloved oratorios in the repertoire, was chosen by the Athens State Orchestra for a Christmas concert on 16 December at the Christos D. Lambrakis Hall. On this occasion, he invited the Scotsman Christian Kernin, the principal musician known for his performances in the Baroque style and in particular for his interpretations of Handel’s works. Those who follow the discography may know his award-winning recordings of works such as Alkistis, Amadis of Galatia, Xerxis, Flavius ​​and Semeli.

Handel composed “Messiah” for limited musical powers and a short chorus, leaving alternate versions for several parts of the oratorio. From 1742, when it was first performed in Dublin, to the present day, several attempts have been made to adapt the work to the musical ensembles then in existence. The most famous of these remains Mozart, who rearranged much of the music, adding mostly wind instruments, on the occasion of the performance of the “Messiah” in Vienna in German text instead of the original English. During the 19th century, the musical and vocal abilities with which “Messiah” was presented, especially in the US and UK, were pushed to the limit. In 1857, a performance in London with an orchestra of five hundred musicians and a choir of 2,000 is reported. In the twentieth century, even the Anglo-Saxons gradually realized that greater fidelity to the creator’s intentions would benefit music and the work as a whole. The return to historical instruments and historically based interpretations has borne fruit.

Christian Kernin’s musical direction lacked tension and critical emphasis.

In Athens, Kernin played music with a medium-sized ensemble and modern instruments, but with musicians who had little knowledge of the Baroque, although some, especially among wind instruments, were seriously involved in this genre and ancient instruments. A significant number of singers from the ERT choirs and the municipality of Athens also participated. The result was not as expected. Kernin’s interpretation lacked the necessary nuances. There were no tensions and critical accents that would give character to the reading and clearly bring out the majestic element, the lyrical, heroic and even operatic performance where it was required.

Problems with the choir may be due to insufficient testing. Incomplete coordination as well as limited articulation of the musician and the poetic text were constant, especially in the live movements. The heterogeneity of the quartet of soloists (Nina Koufochristou, Chrysanti Spitadis, Alexandros Tsilogiannis, Simon Robinson) created further challenges, although some of the most satisfying moments were provided by Nina Koufochristou with clear voice, cultured singing and softness of expression. Also positive was the solo contribution of individual musicians such as Asterios Pouftis (cello) and Giannis Karabetsos (trumpet), who collaborated very well with the soloists.