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Bach Collegium San Diego premieres a Spanish ‘Messiah’

Early music groups do not usually premiere a work by a major composer. They’d have to poke around in library archives, many of which are in Europe, to discover something that hadn’t been performed before, or had been performed once and then lost.

But this past weekend, Bach Collegium San Diego presented “El Mesías,” a new Spanish libretto of “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel, in three different locations. I attended one performance at Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla and another in Tijuana.

The music wasn’t anything new, but the libretto was. Tijuana resident Mario Montenegro translated the biblical texts compiled by Charles Jennens into Spanish.

I can’t properly judge the accuracy of the translation, but I understand pronunciation. The syllabic accents of the translation correlated with the original English, and I imagine the purer vowels in Spanish made vocal parts easier to sing.

Artistic Director Ruben Valenzuela led a small chorus and orchestra in a historically informed performance. There is no definitive “Messiah” because Handel changed the music to suit each concert that he oversaw. The number of soloists changed. Arias sung by one vocal type were reassigned to others. Numbers were shortened. As the years went by, Handel added more instruments to his original orchestration.

This orchestra consisted of 12 strings, two trumpets, timpani, harpsichord and organ. The Baroque trumpets, with uncoiled tubing, appeared longer than modern instruments. Josh Cohen was the principal trumpeter, playing his part with flair and secure tone.

The pedal-less timpani, smaller than modern drums and struck with wooden mallets, thundered in the hall when played by Maury Baker. The continuo was judiciously realized by Michael Sponseller on harpsichord and Jacob Street on organ.

The soloists were uniformly strong. Aaron Sheehan’s clarion tenor rang out in “Cada valle será elevado” (Ev’ry valley shall be exalted) and raged in “Destrozados con puño de hierro” (“Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron”).

Mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte’s vocal agility and emotional fluidity was a tremendous asset in “Mas ¿Quíen resistir podrá su llegada?” (“But who may abide the day of His coming?”). The angelic voice of countertenor Jay Carter shined in “Oh tú que anuncias las nuevas a Zión” (“O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion”) and in “¡Morir, no! Morir ya no es el fin” (“O death, where is thy sting?”).

The firm, rich fullness of bass Mischa Bouvie rumbled out in “¿Por qué los pueblos furiosos van conspirando?” (“Why do the nations rage?”) and brilliantly carried “Trompeta anunciad que la muerte acabó” (“The trumpet shall sound”).

Soprano Estelí Gomez’s lustrous vibrato enhanced the coloratura bravura of “Cantad alegres, Oh hijas de Zión” (“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion”). In contrast to this dazzling timbre, with her final high note in “Vendrá Él a cuidar su rebaño” (“He shall feed His flock”), Gomez floated a soft, clear “paz” to beautiful effect.

Lyric soprano Nell Snaidas artfully spun out the impossibly long melody of “Yo sé que mi redentor vive” (“I know that my Redeemer liveth”).

The chorus is integral to any “Messiah” performance, and the clarity of the 17 voices in the Conrad’s Baker-Baum Concert Hall made an even bigger impact than hearing a hundred-voice choir. Valenzuela led his forces with clarity and drive. We can all sing “Hallelujah” — excuse me, “¡Aleluya!” — for the joy of hearing a chorus and orchestra perform an oratorio live again.

Hertzog is a freelance writer.