We had a lovely day yesterday, helped by the beautiful, sunny weather, the joy of celebrating Lars-Göran's birthday and the fact that we went into Stockholm to see and hear a marvellous recital of the classic Christmas choral piece, Händel's Messiah at Storkyrkan in Gamla Stan.




These tickets had to be booked really early as the concert is usually a sellout. Unfortunately we did not get back in time to have booked before October and by then all of the best (and most expensive) seats were taken, so we were hoping that these places would still give us a good view.

It wouldn't have been possible without the help of Lars-Göran's daughter, who lives in nearby Södermalm and who very kindly offered to dog-sit Lambi for us. While Lambi is very much one of God's creatures, it seems that she is not welcome in these places of worship. We met up and handed over the dog at Södra station and jumped on a bus heading to the palace. But at Slussen, we decided to get off and take a walk through Gamla Stan as we had a little time up our sleeve and the day was sunny and clear. Though it was a touch on the nippy side.

From this side of the water, you can see the tower of the cathedral, reaching out above all of the other buildings. It is situated high on a hill, right next door to the Royal Palace. Today the light is lovely and emphasises the warmth of the colours used in these old buildings, many of which date back over seven hundred years.




You can see it here too. Many people think that the more pointed spire is the cathedral, but that spire belongs to Tyska Kyrkan (the German Church), whose spire is the highest point in Gamla Stan.




It was around 1.30pm when this photo was taken and already the deep late afternoon shadows are making their way across the buildings, making the colours fade and the scene look much colder. Even so, the old town has a romance all of its own and one never tires of the view from Slussen.




We ventured along the main street, Västerlånggatan (the western long street) which was quite crowded with Christmas shoppers and a surprising number of tourists. The street is lined with shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafés, some of which are quite charming, some which are rather twee, catering as they do to the hoardes of tourists who flock here all year round. Having travelled extensively in Europe, I'm used to this overt display of kitsch, but it still continues to distress Lars-Göran who has led a much more sheltered life and who cannot for the life of him understand why anyone would want to buy any of this crap.




It was nice to wander along in an unhurried way, looking in at the full cafés, dropping in to look at a few shops of interest and admire the pretty street lights and wreaths strung between the buildings for Christmas - all without having to smuggle the dog inside. We felt really free and unencumbered. Several of the shops had lovely Christmas displays and windows chock full of goodies to buy.




We walked up the narrow, hilly, cobblestoned streets to the main square (Stortorget) where the Christmas markets were in full swing, with people milling around the stalls which have stood on this spot for hundreds of years. They have remained largely unchanged and stock handicrafts, presents, gourmet foodstuff, Christmas lollies and fairyfloss and of course mulled wine (glögg).




Christmas markets are a beloved pleasure during Advent here and people come from all over town just for the old style flavour and atmosphere of this square. They set up a huge Christmas tree festooned with lanterns to transform it into a magical setting. I love the history of this place and I always picture Stortorget as a city in a little snow globe - and all this scene lacks is a sprinkling of snow to make it perfect and to evoke the warmth and spirt of a traditional yuletide.




Then it was but a short hop around the corner to Storkyrkan (The Great Church). It is a very old building, having been first mentioned in writing as early as 1279, making it Stockholm's oldest church. I still can't get my mind around the fact that this impressive building has been here for over 700 years! We went into the side courtyard and found an oasis of peace where we could sit and have a snack before the three hour concert.




We went out through the courtyard and looked from the hill on which the palace is built, out across the water to Strandvägen and the east of the city - always a striking view in any season.




Then it was time to make our way inside. While the exterior of the building is somewhat baroque, the interior is very Gothic, being constructed mostly of brick, then rendered and painted. I loved the high, vaulted ceilings, the incredible gilded woodwork, the chandeliers and the whole feeling of pomp and ceremony. It is a large, grand public building which was meant to inspire the common man who was more than likely packed into a tiny tenement apartment building. The most famous of the treasures is an enormous and very dramatic wooden statue of Saint George and the Dragon attributed to the wonderful German sculptor Bernt Notke and dating from 1489.




I sat and looked at this for a long time, marvelling at the incredible detail. I read the plaque nearby, which said that it was also a reliquary, containing relics of Saint George and two other saints. It wasn't long before the concert was about to begin and people filed into their seats.




The recital itself was amazingly beautiful and even sensual. The setting did much to enhance the music, as these sacred music pieces were written to be sung in high vaulted churches such as this. I don't think that any musical work is more closely associated with the Christmas season than Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel, who lived 1685-1759 (incidentally, Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti were also born in 1685, making it quite a year for classical composers!) It's rather ironic that when Händel wrote this piece, the Bishop of London banned its performance in London parishes and also in St. Paul's Cathedral. He felt that it was too theatrical and he did not want his churches tainted by "entertainment". So, Händel unveiled Messiah in Dublin as a benefit for a charity hospital.




It is a very religious piece and Händel told the story of Christ using selections of text from the Old and New Testaments to outline basic ideas about who Jesus was and what was his significance. The actual concert was really beautiful. It wasn't the very best I've heard, but the experience was worthwhile. The soloists were mixed, with the soprano being just perfect - bright, shiny, crisp and strong. So was the bass, but the alto and tenor were merely adequate in light of the absolutely stunning performance of the choir. They were so sharp, with every note being distinct and spot on. It was a far cry from one performance I went to where the choir consistently sang about the "Prince of Piss" and "The Ever-Lusting Lord", which put a whole new unwelcome, if somewhat amusing slant on the meaning.

I am used to everyone standing for the Hallelujah chorus. This is usually a highlight for me, that lightbulb moment when Christmas suddenly hits home, so I was a little disappointed that everyone remained seated. Perhaps this is only done in England and Australia. Anyway, it is highly uplifting music and one of my favourite three for Christmas. The others are Britten's A Ceremony of Carols and Rachmaninov's Vespers.




We left, walking out into the cold night along Skeppsbron, with our heads alive with Händel's musical meditations and our feet treading lightly on air.

If you are at all curious about the music and the sory behind it, you can read the specific scriptures here. Believe me, if you listen to this glorious music - especially knowing the scriptures themselves - you will be transported too. If you click on Messiah here, then scroll down a little, you can hear the beginning of different selections. On disc one, I especially love tracks 3, 8 and 12. On disc 2, click on 17 for just a teaser of Hallelujah.

And for those of you in Stockholm next Sunday, the Anglican Episcopal Church of St Peter and St Sigfrid at Dag Hammarskjöldsvägen 14 is holding it's very popular English Carol Service at 6pm. It's one not to be missed!