For me, one of the joys of the season is attending a concert of Handel’s Messiah. The music combined with the words from the King James Version of the Bible lift one’s spirits and bring joy to the heart. In previous years, I have gone to some wonderful concerts at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra in which top musicians and soloists brought the piece to musical life.
This year, however, I am no longer living in a major city, and I attended a local concert by the state philharmonic orchestra and chorus. The performance was satisfyingly professional with a resounding orchestra, an exuberant chorus and four talented soloists. As grateful as I was for this, I was struck by something else. This performance was built around a much more casual atmosphere. Up on stage orchestra members filtered in, tuning instruments and chatting with friends and neighboring players. The chorus also filtered in by degrees with smiles exchanged and some chairs rearranged.
However, the auditorium went dutifully silent, and the performers sat at the ready as the conductor came on stage to applause. Then we were off and running with the opening pastorale. But what struck me during the performance was the professional geniality of the performers. One could see the conductor smile at a well-turned phrase and the soloists gave each other smiles of appreciation after a particularly well-done aria. The final moment came with the bass sang ‘The trumpet shall sound’ playing off of the trumpet in the orchestra as Handel likes to do. He sang facing us, but turned toward the trumpet player when that instrument’s moment came. One could feel the unity of the musicians reflected in the smile from the conductor.
We ended the concert with the rousing Halleluiah chorus, sung first by the professionals on the stage and then sung again by the audience with the conductor leading us. I felt in that moment the unity of us all. It did not matter who we voted for or who was torn by the abortion questions. It did not matter what job we held, what our family structure was, or what church went did or did not go to. We were united in singing “His kingdom is forever.” This was the true unity of the Christmas season.