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© Uwe Arens

Handel's Messiah

by RIAS Kammerchor Berlin
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Tue 12 Dec ’23 19:30 uur


Justin Doyle, conductor
Julia Doyle, soprano
Benno Schachtner, alto
Alexander Sprague, tenor
Neal Davies, bass

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

Tue 12 Dec ’23
19:30 uur

It had been a hot day, that August 21, 1741. The streets of London were melting. And even the night was still sultry. Georg Friedrich Handel could not sleep, was tossing and turning in his bed. Anyway, he was not in the best of spirits: his operas were no longer in demand and he had suffered partial paralysis. His energy was gone. But staring into the darkness like this, he suddenly saw something shadowy white laying on his writing desk. Yes, it had come that day. A new libretto. That Jennings had once again been very diligent. Ah, why not glance at it anyway. Handel got up, walked over to the table, flicked the first page. And lo and behold: "Comfort ye," was the first thing he read. Comfort ye; something in him began to flow, flow, flow. And within about three weeks, the entire oratorio Messiah was on paper.

Handel's Messiah: the most beloved oratorio of all time. Just think of the radiant Hallelujah chorus. RIAS Kammerchor was founded in 1948 and is among the world's best choirs. They have a history of collaborations with The Akademie für alte Musik, including a previous tour with Händel's Messiah. The Akademie für alte Musik was founded in Berlin in 1982. It has since won a Grammy Award, the Diapason d'Or, the Cannes Classical Award, the Gramophone Award and the Edison Award for its CD recordings. A performance recently at Wigmore Hall, was honored by The Guardian with ✪✪✪✪✪. The insomniac Handel is in good hands!

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