Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

One of the highlights of our seven day visit to Buenos Aires last year was the guided tour of the spectacular Teatro Colon. Our only disappointment was that the few performances remaining before the end of the season were all sold out.

Just before we left Vancouver this year, Brenda learned that a performance of Handel's Messiah was scheduled for December 18! We immediately jumped on line and managed to find a pair of seats in the orchestra, only thirteen rows from the stage. We decided to go all out and spend the 32,000 pesos for the pair (under $50 CDN). I'd hate to think what they would have cost back home (in a far inferior venue).

The only music I knew from this oratorio was the Hallelujah chorus, so I streamed a live YouTube concert from Sydney, Australia to get a better feel for what to expect. It turned out I was a little underwhelmed and feared I might embarrass Brenda by dozing off and snoring during the performance.

Last night, we made our way to the theater and were ushered to our seats, which, by the way, were worth every last peso. The sheer beauty of the venue electrified us, and when the musicians, soloists, chorus, and conductor took to the stage, we were all in, and I knew right then that there would be no nodding off until I got home.

The Messiah is performed in English, although it's hard to tell at times. Some words are sung in a volley of rapid fire scales and stretched over several bars. We both would glance up at the Spanish translation that was displayed on the curtain behind the chorus in an attempt to better understand the lyrics. That being said, the performances of all four soloists were outstanding. However, we both would have preferred that the parts sung in falsetto by the countertenor had been sung by a mezzo-soprano in full voice.

The musicianship, under the guidance of the very passionate conductor, Ruben Dubrovsky, was faultless. The occasional appearance of a harpsichord, a trumpet, and timpanies just added to the surprises.

The biggest surprise of all, however, came during the encore when, before leading the orchestra in a reprise of the Hallelujah Chorus, maestro Dubrovsky, a native Argentine, ripped off his tuxedo jacket and shirt to reveal a number 10 Argentina Football Club jersey. The crowd ate it up.

I bet you didn't think this electric blues guitarist would have made it through a two hour and twenty minute spectacle like this, did ya? Yeah, well I fooled you, didn't I? I loved it!Read more