<<  -- 4 --  Howard Smith    'MESSIAH' AS NEVER BEFORE

Late one afternoon, in Oktober Theatre -- scene of the finished public performances; Yuhzno-Sakhaliners jostled at the rear doors awaiting a screening of Bruce Almighty, a Jim Carrey film showing in Russian.

At this, one of repeated and formerly unthinkable intrusions, O'Riordan 'Almighty' -- vehement, ferocious, implacable -- went practically 'ballistic'. Musicians recoiled at the show of scathing Irish fury while the hapless Carrey's name became 'mud'. Alas, poor Carrey.

Despite all this confusion, 'mini-miracles' appeared to be happening in surprising succession and the final two public performances were truly a triumph of the spirit for O'Riordan and this offshore Russian-Pacific territory.

O'Riordan's collossal venture was swiftly dedicated to the memory of those who had died -- and for many Sakhaliners it served in an indefinable way to assuage their deep sense of loss.

Sakhalin's uncanny conjunction of tragedy, and Handel's inspirational Messiah with its message of hope in life eternal -- 'Death, where is thy sting, grave where is they victory ?' -- moved all those most closely involved.

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