A Thought for Easter in the Age of Better Social Justice

 Handel's "Messiah" is usually performed during the Christmas season here in the U.S., but it is arguably more appropriate for Easter, and given increasing calls for better social justice in the era of soaring income inequality, BIPOC awareness and Black Lives Matter, I think it is worth pointing out one air, aria or song very near the beginning of the piece.

"Every Valley," generally sung by a tenor, goes as follows:

Ev'ry valley shall be exhalted,
 and every mountain and hill made low, 
the crooked straight, 
and the rough places plain.

That's it as far as the lyrics are concerned, but the piece actually lasts about three and a half minutes, with theme-and-variation musical repetition giving the singer ample opportunity to display his full range of vocal capabilities.

This, as one commentator put it, is "the change message."  The poor will be elevated and the rich brought down. Those who have not received justice will get it (the crooked made straight) and adequate medical care will be extended to all (the rough places made plain).

In other words, those lyrics, selected for Handel by Charles Jennens from the Biblical book of Isaiah, should be viewed as allegorical. Such is not unusual in Handel's English-language oratorios since it was at the time difficult to deal with prevailing political and social issues directly.

In my humble option, just as "We Shall Overcome" was the anthem of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, "Every Valley" should be the anthem of the present. Not only are the lyrics "spot on," the music is fabulous.

Here's one excellent rendition on YouTube. Listen in.

Susanna's #MeToo Moment, Brought by Trinity Church

Back in the days of the Babylonian exile -- say around 550 bce -- one Jewish family is doing rather well.  Joacim, a wealthy man and his very attractive wife, Susanna, live in a prominent house with a large garden through which a stream flows and in which large trees grow.

A couple of local elders, who, among other things, help sort out disputes in the community, often carry out their duties  at Joacim's place and have become much taken with Susanna's charms.  Joacim. to carry out his business, has to travel and is sometimes away from home.

Susanna likes to bath in the garden's stream and one day sends her servants inside to find some things she needs for her ablutions.  Driven by lust, we are told, the two elders spot an opportunity, enter the garden and demand that Susanna have sex with them.  If she refuses, they will claim to have caught her committing adultery with a younger man, who then escapes, and have her put to death, Susanna is told.

When it comes to #MeToo moments, it doesn't get much worse: toxic masculinity at the top of the patriarchy.

Susanna, an exceptionally virtuous woman who lives by the laws of Moses, refuses their advances, but with no one else around, knows the community will believe the elders and she will die.

Leaving readers in suspense for the moment, I will pause to note that George Fredric Handel put Susanna's story to music in 1749  -- one of his English language oratorios that were sung, but not acted.  This was after Italian opera had fallen out of favor in London.

The very excellent baroque orchestra and choir of Manhattan's Trinity Church just put on a performance of "Susanna" in three parts, which readers can find here. Clicking on the appropriate links will stream the oratorio, part of an ongoing project by Trinity to perform all of Handel's bible-based oratorios, the most famous being "Messiah."

But back to Babylon.

Susanna is brought to public trial in which the respected elders serve as judges, prosecutors and witnesses. No one defends Susanna.  (Joacim is not specifically mentioned in the Bible as being at the trial although Susanna's children and other family members are.  In Handel's oratorio, he is depicted as hurrying home to his wife whom he believes is innocent, having heard news of the events from afar. "Is fair Susanna false? It ne're can be!" Joacim sings, with great conviction.)

But just as Susanna is condemned to death, a young man named Daniel steps forward and demands to question the elders separately as to what they saw in the garden.  When they tell him different stories -- locating the alleged act of adultery under different trees -- the assembled public sees that they are lying and rather than Susanna, they are put to death.  Just like that.

Daniel goes on to become one of the Bible's most important prophets.

The story of Susanna is a somewhat curious one as biblical scholar Jennifer A Glancy explains in her article "Susanna: Apocrypha." Interested readers can click on that link to discover why.

But what about Trinity Church's "Susanna?"  I HIGHLY recommend it!

Idomeneo: The Story of Abraham With a Twist?

Attending Mozart's "Idomeneo" at the Met the other night got me thinking -- and I'm certainly not the first to have made this connection -- of the Biblical story of Abraham.

In both cases, a god requires a mortal to kill his first-born or at least most important son. That's perhaps the most difficult order a father could receive, in a patriarchal society at any rate.