Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!"

I saw this posted on Leah's blog today, and just had to share it. It simply blew me away.




If any of you can watch and listen to this without tears......

On Saturday, October 30, 2010, the Opera Company of Philadelphia brought together over 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform one of the Knight Foundation's "Random Acts of Culture" at Macy's in Center City Philadelphia. Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ - the world's largest pipe organ - the OCP Chorus and throngs of singers from the community infiltrated the store as shoppers, and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "Messiah" at 12 noon, to the delight of surprised shoppers. This event is one of 1,000 "Random Acts of Culture" to be funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation over the next three years. The initiative transports the classical arts out of the concert halls and opera houses and into our communities to enrich our everyday lives.


Here's the text to the Hallelujah Chorus:

|: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :| |: For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :| For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. |: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :| The kingdom of this world Is become the kingdom of our Lord, And of His Christ, and of His Christ; And He shall reign for ever and ever, For ever and ever, forever and ever, King of kings, and Lord of lords, |: King of kings, and Lord of lords, :| And Lord of lords, And He shall reign, And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings, forever and ever, And Lord of lords, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And He shall reign forever and ever, |: King of kings! and Lord of lords! :| And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings! and Lord of lords! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Is this 'King of kings and Lord of lords' your Saviour?


By God's grace, He is mine, but one day, we will all bow our knee to Him.


If we don't bow the knee to Him whilst we live, we will - in fear and dread and awe - bow down to Him on that great day of judgement.


Praise God, on that great day, He will be my Advocate and Friend. May He be yours too.

Highland Cathedral

This makes me tingle. Magical.

If it does nothing to you, let me know. Seriously. I genuinely don't know if you HAVE to be Scottish to love - I mean LOVE - this.

The bagpipes just do it for me.

This rendition of Amazing Grace is definitely a favourite of mine too. Listen especially for the emotion and strength in their voices after the piper has played. Oh boy.

F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S

No wonder the Scots used the pipes to spur their 'boys' on into battle. I'd follow the sound too. Anywhere. Well, almost.