Volume 2, Number 2   February 10, 2005

Dear friends and music lovers,

It's been written that Handel and Rembrandt were the same kind of portraitists. They each saw deeply into the personality of those they portrayed...

David playing his harp for Saul (Rembrandt)

VOICES presents G. F. Handel's Oratorio, SAUL

VOICES Chorale will present George F. Handel's majestic oratorio Saul in two performances in early March:

• Saturday, March 5, 8:00 p.m. at the Langhorne United Methodist Church, 301 East Maple Avenue, Langhorne, PA
• Sunday, March 6, 3:00 p.m. at the Pennington Presbyterian Church, 13 South Main Street, Pennington, NJ

VOICES received standing ovations last March for its performances of Handel's Israel in Egypt. Saul was written by Handel in 1738 with librettist Charles Jennens, who also collaborated on Messiah, Israel in Egypt, L'Allegro and Belshazzar. Although not as well known as Messiah, Saul displays some of the same outstanding orchestration and vocal writing. Some say that Saul is perhaps the most structurally perfect and proportioned of all Handel's oratorios.

While oratorios are not "staged," they include the most compelling portraits in all of musical theater. Handel scholar Winton Dean compared the drama and tragedy of Saul to Shakespeare's King Lear. The biblical story of Saul, the first King of Israel, dominates the first book of Samuel with its narrative of Saul's jealousy of David, the shepherd that killed Goliath and went on to defeat the Philistines. Saul's plot to kill David and to embroil his own son Jonathan in the betrayal ultimately leads to murder, Saul's own downfall and David's emergence as the leader of his people. The chorus, representing the Israelites, declares, "Gird on thy sword, thou man of might," reminding us that a strong nation endures despite the rise and fall of its leaders.

Jennens emphasized the great psychological insights of jealousy, betrayal and redemption not only through the dramatic choruses and the direct interplay of Saul and David, but by exploring the character of the daughters Merab, portrayed as haughty, and Michal, sweet and fiery.

Under the direction of Dr. Lynne Ransom, the 60-member VOICES Chorale will be joined by the Newtown Chamber Orchestra, Russell Hoffman, Music Director, and soloists, including Bass John Sergey in the title role, Soprano Elizabeth Bouk as Michal, and Countertenor Corey Crawford as David.

Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 for seniors/students, $8 for children 12 and under. Family passes are available for $42. NJ Arts Pass holders receive a discount. Call 609-637-9383 or visit www.voiceschorale.org for tickets and directions.

March 6 Silent Auction to Benefit VOICES

Audiences attending the March 6 performance of Saul in Pennington, New Jersey are invited to participate in our Silent Auction prior to and during intermission of the performance. All proceeds will benefit VOICES music programs.

Christmas VOICES CD on sale now!

Another great reason to come to our upcoming concerts is to purchase our new Christmas VOICES CD, recorded live at our 2003 Lessons and Carols concerts. See www.voiceschorale.org for a track list and purchasing information for this and our other CDs.

Save the Dates for Children's Music Composition Workshops

Look on our web site for our announcements regarding locations and times for our annual Children's Music Composition Workshops on March 8, 12, 15 and 19 and our performance of the winning compositions at our May 21 and 22 concerts.

Looking Ahead...

While we are inspired and excited about performing Saul, we are also preparing for performances that will be quite different musically but equally inspiring. Circle these dates on your calendar:

• April 25, 2005: Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" with the Hunterdon Symphony and Hunterdon Choral Union in Clinton, NJ
• May 21, 22 and 31, 2005: "Lyrics by Walt Whitman" in Princeton, NJ, Newtown, PA, and at the Walt Whitman Arts Center in Camden, NJ.

Keep visiting our Web site and watching for future VOICES Notes for more details and directions for these concerts. We hope you share our enthusiasm for our season ahead and we hope you share this newsletter, and attendance at our concerts, with your friends and loved ones.

In Memory of Stuart

VOICES mourns the loss and celebrates the life of Stuart Pope , former President of our Board of Trustees, retired president of the music publisher Boosey and Hawkes, area organist and all-around "jolly good fellow," passed away on January 24 after a long illness. We are proud to be part of his life and work, and know that VOICES' achievements would have been far less but for his guiding vision and inspiration.

About VOICES

Dr. Lynne Ransom, D.M.A. is the founder, music director, and conductor of VOICES, which was begun in 1987 as a non-profit, professional music organization. VOICES performs the choral masterworks of the past along with the music of our time, even the premieres of modern composers, and ranges from renaissance to contemporary -- from spirituals and show music to the sacred and classic.

VOICES is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the Mercer County Executive and the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

VOICES always welcomes new members who love to sing, or who wish to support the organization through their donations of time and resources. Call 609-637-9383, send e-mail or visit our Web site at www.voiceschorale.org to find out how you can get involved.

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This VOICES Notes was edited by Bob Kull with contributions from Lynne Ransom and Elisabeth Bonasera.