Sandy group to play holiday classics

The Orchestra and Chorus of Sandy City will present its annual holiday concert Friday and Saturday in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sandy, with a third performance on Dec. 9 in Libby Gardner Concert Hall on the University of Utah campus.

The program includes the overture to Monteverdi's opera "Orfeo" and excerpts from Handel's "Messiah." But the focus of the concerts will be on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, of which the third and fourth movements will be performed.

"I'm excited about this concert," said OCSC music director Joel Rosenberg. "It's been many years since we've played the Ninth."

Rosenberg said that Beethoven's Ninth is as much a part of holiday traditions in other countries as the "Messiah" and "The Nutcracker" are in the United States. "In Japan, it has taken deep root for their New Year festivities."

Beethoven began work on the symphony in 1818, finishing it six years later. "He was eager to have it played in Vienna, but he was a little hesitant. Rossini and other Italian composers were very popular in Vienna at the time, and he didn't know how his symphony would be received."

As it turned out, Beethoven need not have worried. "The audience was deeply moved, as was Beethoven. An interesting fact is that at the time musicians didn't receive ovations, but Beethoven got no less than five ovations by the audience."

Beethoven insisted on conducting that concert, although by that time he was almost completely deaf. Perhaps that's why the work was so well received. "A few weeks later there was a repeat performance, but it was poorly attended," Rosenberg said.

It's nearly a decade since the OCSC has performed the Ninth. "We did the entire symphony in May 1998, but now we have a greatly different group of people in the chorus and many new people in the orchestra."

The chorus has been expanded for these performances. "(Chorus master) Pamela Dale has recruited many people to augment the chorus, and everyone is excited about doing it," Rosenberg said, adding that Dale brings a great deal of experience to the Sandy chorus from her long association with the San Francisco Opera Chorus.

Soloists for these performances are soprano Jill Dewsnup, mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Dresher, tenor Patrick Langford (Friday and Saturday), tenor George Dyer (Dec. 9) and baritone Greg Pearson.

If you go

What: Orchestra and Chorus of Sandy City, Joel Rosenberg

Where: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 8600 S. 700 East

How much: $10 general admission, $8 senior citizens and students

Also: Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah, Sunday, Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m.

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E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com