A holiday tradition that blends a classic oratorio with Detroit musical genres, everything from jazz and gospel to blues and swing, returns to the Detroit…
A holiday tradition that blends a classic oratorio with Detroit musical genres, everything from jazz and gospel to blues and swing, returns to the Detroit Opera House for a single performance this weekend.
“Too Hot To Handel,” a jazz-gospel version of Handel’s “Messiah,” brings more than 120 musicians to the stage Saturday, including 85 members of the Rackham Choir, some members of the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, and tenor Rodrick Dixon, formerly of the “Three Mo’ Tenors,” soprano Alfreda Burke, and alto Karen Marie Richardson.
“’Too Hot to Handel’ is a truly unique Detroit experience bringing together the music and soul the city is known for,” says Suzanne Mallare Acton, music director of the show, which marks its 17th season in the Motor City.
With its many musical styles, “Too Hot To Handel” is accessible to everyone. It’s not just classical music, Acton says, but also jazz, gospel, rock and funk. Listen closely and you might also hear some reggae, she notes. The audience is frequently up clapping, dancing and “doing all kinds of stuff,” she says.
“They say music is food for the soul, and in ‘Too Hot To Handel,’ it is a soul-stirring, hand-clapping event that ignites the stage and the audience,” says Acton, who is also director of the Rackham Choir (considered Detroit’s longest continuously existing choir, dating from 1949).
“It engages people of all ages, all faiths and all ethnic groups. ‘Too Hot To Handel’ is uplifting, energetic and is the perfect way to being the holiday celebrations.”
The contemporary, energetic interpretation of Handel’s Messiah premiered at the Lincoln Center in New York in 1993.
