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Minnesota Chorale | © Greg Helgeson

Handel’s Messiah

Orchestra Hall

~2 hours, including intermission

It is the season for holiday traditions, especially those as magnificent and memorable as Handel’s Messiah. British conductor Christopher Warren-Green has achieved more than 50 years of world-class conducting engagements around the world. He and the Orchestra come together, joined by heavenly voices, for this glorious December gathering.

Date & Time

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Program

  • HANDEL

    Messiah

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    In the month of December, we often associate gracious acts of charity with the joyful holiday season. Thus it seems appropriate that Handel’s great oratorio, Messiah, has become an integral part of Christmas celebrations, because it was written for inclusion in a series of Dublin concerts benefiting public causes; the first performance of Messiah in 1742 raised an impressive £400 for charity. Beginning in 1750, he led popular annual performances of the work for the benefit of London’s Foundling Hospital Chapel, to which he donated a pipe organ in addition to bequeathing a copy of the score and parts to Messiah.

    The German composer had spent most of his later years in London and was well known for his operatic and courtly compositions. Handel may not have considered himself a composer of sacred music, but it is reported that Messiah so moved him that after completing the “Hallelujah Chorus”—with tears streaming down his face—he declared: “I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God himself.” Over the next 250 years Messiah secured a place as one of the most beloved compositions in the entire orchestral and choral repertoire, and as one of Handel’s most enduring and endearing works.

Artists

Minnesota Orchestra

Christopher Warren-Green

conductor

Georgia Jarman

soprano

Reginald Mobley

countertenor

Toby Spence

tenor

Minnesota Chorale

 

Listen Ahead

Accessibility Services

  • Armless & Bariatric Chairs
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Large-Print Programs
  • Noise-Cancelling Headphones
  • Service Animals
  • Wheelchair & Accessible Seating

Additional services are available upon request.

Sponsored by

MSAB

The Minnesota Orchestra is grateful to Orville C. Hognander, Jr. for supporting Handel’s Messiah in this program

The 2023-2024 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.