Take it in!

Because I am a bit of a curmudgeon, and I admit it, I wasn’t so smitten with a recent viral video of Handel’s Alleluia Chorus being performed in Macy’s. The whole thing felt claustrophobic, and visually, I found it unmoving. Is there anything less interesting to look at that someone videotaping something?

But then I am prejudiced against the whole notion that everything must be videotaped at all times. I’ve groused about that elsewhere on the blog.

But I liked this video, which I picked up from Lisa Graas on Twitter. The singers are terrific, the scene not so overpacked, and one gets to really see something of the responses in the crowds; still too many people videotaping rather than experiencing the moment fully within themselves for me, but the fellow at 3:23 struck me by his stillness. He was not videotaping or looking around. He was just listening, really taking it in, and you can see it on him. You can see it in his stillness.

I like it when people who know the piece join in the singing, but this crowd really didn’t do that–they simply watched and enjoyed–and that was nice, too.