21 December 2025

We were in Perth on Thursday evening to hear the Dunedin Consort perform Handel’s ‘Messiah’. Under the direction of John Butt, leading from the harpsichord, they work with minimal resources. The chorus, which contained the four soloists, numbered a dozen.

The soprano, Nardus Williams, and the bass, Dingle Yandell, sang effortlessly. Their posture was restrained. Clearly, they saw themselves as instruments, allowing the music to be heard without becoming a distraction to the audience.

By contrast, the alto, Lotte Betts-Dean and the tenor, Joshua Elliott, were much more animated, using not only their voices but their bodies to bring out the drama of what was a religious opera staged without costume and set. This was a story full of intense dramatic action and insight revealing events of cosmic significance.

The oratorio reaches a climax when the trumpets and the timpani join the consort in the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’. This is sustained throughout the third and final part. ‘The Lord spoke the Word, great was the company of the preachers.’ Despite the difficulties of the religious landscape, we still climb the pulpit steps to preach.

Hope is sustained throughout this final part so much so that there was a reluctance to let go of the experience. Like Peter at the Transfiguration, we wanted to stay in the moment. ‘I didn’t want to let go.’ said the stranger sitting beside me when the applause ceased.

In that moment, we were literally transported into eternity. ‘I know that my redeemer liveth ...’ sang Job out of his intense suffering. ‘O Death where is thy victory ..’ sang the alto and tenor, celebrating the hopeful words of St. Paul.  ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain …’ is the final moment revealing God’s paradoxical glory!