The genius birth cohort of 1685 Saxony shares the ICO's 'Classical Christmas'

Born in 1685 a month apart in the same region of Germany, J.S. Bach and George Frideric Handel (to use

Concert-concluding "Hallelujah!" The sopranos (left) are about to make their entry, joining the other three sections, on "And he shall reign forever and ever."

the latter version of his name as a naturalized Briton) offer a wealth of biographical and musical contrasts.

When substantial excerpts of their Christmas-related major works are presented in the same concert, the comparisons are especially piquant and rewarding. Matthew Kraemer conducted the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra's "Classical Christmas" concert Saturday night at Indiana Landmarks Center. Four vocal soloists and a chorus of two dozen, prepared by Eric Schmidt, shed light on the manner and meaning of each composer's approach to the biblical Nativity story.

Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" is actually a set of cantatas designed for Lutheran church performance from Christmas through Epiphany. The narrative element is essential background to a series of solos, duets, and trios, plus choruses, designed to further faith and celebrate Christianity's foundational event. Handel's "Messiah," on the other hand, reminds the listener constantly of the events of Christ's life, from prophecy through resurrection. Their meaning is supported by a tendentious selection of biblical texts. All along the way, Handel's affinity for the theater shines forth.

Yet those familiar with Bach's Passion settings are acquainted with his gift for dramatic effects, as long as they are understood as a reinforcement of faith and an aid to worship. At the very end of the first half, there was a wonderful example of this, putting a glorious touch on principal trumpet John Rommel's contributions to the first and sixth parts of "Christmas Oratorio."

The obbligato trumpet cresting above the chorale melody includes a brief, rapid, six-note figure — three notes up, three notes down — that's repeated between several  phrases of the accompaniment. It's a florid touch well within Bach's language. But it seems especially significant in conveying, more friskily, the same kind of divine triumph that Handel's "Hallelujah!" chorus did at the end of the concert. It's as though God were dismissing the forces of evil with flicks of his finger. "Christ has broken all that was against ye. Death, the Devil, Sin, and Hell are vanquished now completely," the chorus exults. "Tuck-a-dah, tuck-a-dah!" the trumpet fillips.

Both works brook no counter-argument. Even those of us who don't accept the theology — and  especially the cul-de-sacs of theodicy and eschatology — have to be impressed with how music of genius can make absolutism attractive, almost self-evident. "Hallelujah!" is virtually mandated in any "Messiah" performance, though it doesn't belong, as it was placed Saturday, just after the reassuring "His yoke is easy, and his burden is light." 

Its true position? Following the fierce tenor aria "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron." Regrettably, the beloved "Hallelujah!" chorus has been credibly shown to celebrate the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. when that calamity is interpreted as punishment of Jews for not accepting Jesus as the messiah.

No wonder that the musical payoff is enough for much of today's audience when generous, cohesive excerpts of both works are presented as well as they were by the forces under Kraemer's guidance Saturday evening. 

The trim, well-prepared chorus was seldom overtaxed by fast-moving lines. Accented notes were a little too obvious in "And he shall purify," but such emphasis helped ensure precision. "For unto us" had some unevenness of pace, but the declarations of "And the Glory" and "Glory to God," as well as that promise of "His Yoke Is Easy," displayed confidence and a sterling tone. In "Christmas Oratorio," the joyful first chorus shone with unified devotion. Some of the interlocking phrases of the first Epiphany chorus were untidy, but that final chorus (with those charming trumpet licks) put a bright seal on the concert's first half.

Of the soloists, tasteful ornamentation enlivened the Handel arias. The busiest soloist, tenor Steven Caldicott Wilson, was apt for the crucial storytelling of the Evangelist in the Bach work. His tone and diction were exemplary, and to make the initial impression among them in "Messiah," he sounded urgent and inviting in "Comfort Ye" and "Ev'ry Valley." Ornamented solos, sometimes soaring a  little too freely among the two women, were steady and well-projected. 

Soprano Mary Martin  and mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider made the most of their partnership in "He Shall Feed His Flock' and "Come Unto Him." Martin's narrative series of solos on the angel's appearance to the shepherds created the right crescendo of excitement leading to the chorus's "Glory to God." Crider's negotiation of the Bach work's most enchanting aria, "Bereite dich, Zion" (oddly translated as "Simon" in the program booklet) was brilliantly effective.

Jonathan Woody, a bass-baritone of magnetic force, nailed that righteous absolutism in "Messiah" with "Thus Saith the Lord." The balance of dynamics and phrasing throughout his range was notable in "For Behold, Darkness" and its companion aria. In the Bach, he showed himself capable of representing King Herod's sly irony as he asks the Magi to tell him where they find Jesus "that I may come out and worship him also." It was just a cameo characterizing phrase, but it was perfectly done.

In many places the orchestra distinguished itself. The hard-working oboe duo of Leonid Sirotkin and Pamela Ajango stayed the course commendably in "Christmas Oratorio." In both works, the continuo responsibility fell mainly, and capably, to cellist Marjorie Hanna and harpsichordist Thomas Gerber. The ensemble reached its expressive zenith accompanying the sole soprano aria in the Epiphany part of the Bach. 

In this aria, once again, the words make clear the universal mastery of God, and the music asserts its evidence throughout. With "Christmas Oratorio" and "Messiah" alike, any listener can fall into line with the composers' piety or not, but the experience is essentially for the sake of the music, even if the link is provisional. In matters of belief, listeners are of course entitled to feel any degree of support the music seems to lend to the faith by which they live their lives.