Handel 2009
Interview with David Temple
Conducted at Fortismere School, Muswell Hill during a rehearsal for a performance of Messiah in 2005.
In 1972 David Temple joined the London Philharmonic Choir as a tenor. In 1984 he began his work with the newly formed Crouch End Festival Chorus. Under his direction the choir has progressed from being a reputable local choral society to become a choir of international standing. He is also Musical Director of the Hertfordshire Chorus and works regularly with the Northern Sinfonia.
What is your first memory of Messiah?
It’s one of the clearest memories of my entire life, and that is when I first came to London. I couldn’t read music - I’d never read music in my life - but somebody took me along to London Philharmonic Choir because they discovered I could sing and the first rehearsal I went along to was Messiah. And I just couldn’t believe my ears when I heard what wonderful singing was really like, and from that moment on I was completely hooked on music and it’s become my life ever since. So Messiah is my way into music.
How many Messiah’s have you been involved in?
Well I’ve sung in about thirty or forty and I’ve conducted about ten.
How does this Messiah production compare with others that you’ve done?
Oh it’s the best, best of all ‘cos they’re such a wonderful choir, and we haven’t done it since 1988 so it just sounds very, very fresh and new.
Do you have a favourite part and why?
I think the opening chorus is just so magical. The first time the audience hear the chorus, the first time the chorus performs to the audience. I also love those arias in the middle, the three together: Surely, And with his Stripes, and We like Sheep, followed by He trusted in God, that little section is wonderful. And I have a particular favourite which is Their Sound has Gone Out. I don’t know why, I just love it.
Do you have a favourite recording or soloist?
I think Janet Baker singing the alto part takes a lot of beating because she just has the most exquisite voice, and is the most wonderful interpreter. I don’t have a favourite recording. I don’t like the early music recordings. I find them very precise and a bit uninspiring. The old recordings that are inspiring are a little bit stodgy so I’d like to do it myself at some point.
Do you associate Messiah more with Christmas or with Easter?
I don’t associate it with either really. I think it’s a piece of music that can be done at any time of year and the more often it’s done the better.
Do you have any other Messiah stories?
Yeah, I did Messiah in the Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Choir and in the Hallelujah Chorus one of the basses felt very faint and he collapsed and fainted on top of the timpani drums right in the middle of the Hallelujah Chorus which was a bit unusual.
Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street will be at the heart of the Handel celebrations this year. This landmark address is where Handel lived for thirty-six years of his life and where he died on 14 April 1759.