A dramatic narrative and enactment of the origin of Handel’s Messiah, punctuated with selections from that famed Easter- and Christmastide oratorio, highlighted the first performance Dec. 17 of the annual Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells on Temple Square at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City.
Veteran British stage, television and radio actor Martin Jarvis gave voice to the narrative, as Metropolitan Opera soloists Erin Morley, soprano; Tamara Mumford, mezzo-soprano; Ben Bliss, tenor; and Tyler Simpson, bass-baritone, augmented the choir and orchestra.
Broadway star Laura Osnes, famous for her recent portrayal in the title role of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” was the other featured guest performer, returning to the Conference Center less than six months after her performance at the choir’s annual Pioneer Day concert in July.
“When you think of things that fit perfectly with Christmas, can you think of anything better than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?” Ms. Osnes asked the audience.
Speaking of being in Salt Lake for the summer concerts, she said, “I remember hugging all of my new friends goodbye after the choir sang ‘God Be with You Till We Meet Again,’ and I never dreamed that we’d meet again so soon.”
Ms. Osnes said she loves everything about Christmas — gifts, music, parties, lights. “Oh, and my goodness! I guess you’ve seen the lights on Temple Square. But most of all I love what is at the heart of Christmas, of all the trimmings and celebrations, and that is Jesus Christ, the Lord.”
Musical director Mack Wilberg shared duties at the podium with associate director Ryan Murphy. Mormon Tabernacle organist Richard Elliott brought the audience members to their feet with his own arrangement, “Let Earth Receive Her King! (Joy to the World), a rendition of that familiar carol augmented with passages from “Hallelujah Chorus.”
