El Mesías (The Messiah)
with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra HallFri Dec 9 — Sat Dec 10, 2022
Orchestra Hall
Border CrosSing, led by artistic director Ahmed Anzaldúa, joins the Minnesota Orchestra with El Mesías, a bilingual Spanish-English cross-cultural combination of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah and Navidad Nuestra, a Christmas cantata by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramírez. Together with the vocal soloists and choir, the unique combination of Andean instruments and the Baroque orchestra blur the lines between Western classical and South American folk traditions.
A Few Things To Know
- El Mesías combines the first part of Handel’s Messiah performed in English and Spanish, along with selections from Ariel Ramirez’s Navidad Nuestra. A text and translation program insert provides a more detailed outline of the juxtaposition and interplay of the two langauges.
- The four vocal soloists for the Messiah portions of the program are soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw, alto Gabriela Solis, tenor Matthew Valverde and bass Justin Staebell. In addition, tenor Juan Carlos Mendoza is featured as soloist in the second movement of Navidad Nuetra: La peregrinación (The Pilgrimage).
- In December 2020, Border CrosSing and the Minnesota Orchestra joined together to film a selection from El Mesías. For a preview of the upcoming concerts, enjoy this performance of For Unto Us a Child is Born.
- After the Second Vatican Council relaxed the Catholic Church’s traditions, Ariel Ramirez, one of Argentina's most well-known composers, composed one of the first Masses (Misa Criolla) not written in Latin.
- While choirs and orchestras in the Western world program Handel's Messiah to celebrate the Christmas season, Ramirez's Navidad Nuestra occupies a similar role in much of the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
Program
-
RAMÍREZ
Navidad Nuestra
1 min noteOne Minute Note
In El Mesías, the movements of Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra cantata, written in 1964, are interwoven with parts of George Frideric Handel’s 1741 oratorio Messiah to create a composite work that tells complimentary narratives of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. One is told in the form of the Biblical prophecy used in Messiah, and one takes place through the more modern poetry of Félix Luna, which transports the Nativity story to a South American setting. Today’s conductor Ahmed Anzaldúa has compiled a translation of large portions of the original English Messiah text into Spanish, presenting it in a bilingual version that switches constantly from one language to the other, presenting this work familiar to many listeners so that the audience hears it as if for the first time.
-
HANDEL
Messiah (Part I and Hallelujah chorus)
1 min noteOne Minute Note
In El Mesías, the movements of Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra cantata, written in 1964, are interwoven with parts of George Frideric Handel’s 1741 oratorio Messiah to create a composite work that tells complimentary narratives of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. One is told in the form of the Biblical prophecy used in Messiah, and one takes place through the more modern poetry of Félix Luna, which transports the Nativity story to a South American setting. Today’s conductor Ahmed Anzaldúa has compiled a translation of large portions of the original English Messiah text into Spanish, presenting it in a bilingual version that switches constantly from one language to the other, presenting this work familiar to many listeners so that the audience hears it as if for the first time.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Ahmed Anzaldúa
conductor
Border CrosSing
chorus and Andean ensemble
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, led by Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård—who is serving as music director designate during the 2022-23 season—is recognized for distinguished performances around the world, award-winning recordings and broadcasts, educational engagement programs, and commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of the future. Founded in 1903, the Orchestra has an extensive history of touring throughout Minnesota, nationally and abroad, including high-profile visits in recent years to Cuba, Europe and South Africa. Recording projects undertaken in the past two decades include complete cycles of symphonies by Beethoven, Sibelius and Mahler, all recorded under Osmo Vänskä, who is now the Orchestra’s conductor laureate.
Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa El Samkary is a Mexican conductor and pianist of Egyptian descent and the founder and artistic director of Border CrosSing. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and the U.S. frequently as a soloist and conductor with choirs and orchestras, and also performs as a pianist in solo recitals and collaborative settings. He is a recognized authority in Latin American and Spanish music, particularly the compositions of Federico Mompou and Miguel Bernal Jiménez, and he collaborates regularly with composers to premiere new works, including music by Helmut Lachenmann, Paul Lansky and Arturo Márquez.
Twin Cities-based choral ensemble Border CrosSing was founded in 2017 by Ahmed Anzaldúa as a response to a lack of representation of Latin American culture in choral music in the United States. In its first five years it has grown into a vibrant organization with several programs and has expanded beyond Latin American repertoire, with a mission to integrating historically segregated audiences and musicians through the performance of choral music.
Plan your visit
- Pre-concert activities
- Valet Parking
- Pre-order Beverages
- Directions & Parking
- Helpful Tips
Ecuador Manta Performance
When: Fri Dec 9, Sat Dec 10 | 7 - 7:45 PM
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
Enjoy a pre-concert performance by the Andean group, Ecuador Manta. The band melds traditional rhythms from the Andes with contemporary Latin and Caribbean beats, using instruments like the zampona, a wind flute made from bamboo, and the charango, a small 10-string guitar made from armadillo shell.
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
When: Fri Dec 9, Sat Dec 10
Where: N. Bud Grossman Mezzanine
Bedding Drive for Simpson Housing
When: Through Dec 19, 2022
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
As Simpson Housing rebuilds its shelter, emergency housing for guests will move to an interim site. During December, we're holding a bedding drive with the goal of collecting 70 NEW twin XL sheet sets and fleece or cotton blankets - enough to outfit all beds at the interim site. Your donation welcomes guests with supplies that keep them clean and warm.
Look for the collection box in the Roberta Mann Grand Foyer through December 19.
Know Before You Go
An engaging performance awaits, and the fun doesn’t stop there. Make this visit your own with food and activity options. Browse these helpful tips, and when your concert date arrives, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy.
Directions & Parking
All the information you need to know for getting to and from Orchestra Hall. Parking is just steps away from Orchestra Hall in the city-owned and skyway-connected 11th and Marquette Ramp.
We also offer convenient valet parking as well as buses for our Thursday Coffee Concerts!
Pre-order Beverages
Skip the lines at the bar! Pre-order your intermission beverage via the MN Orch App when you arrive at Orchestra Hall.
Video: El Mesías: A Collaboration with Border CrosSing
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
PRE- AND POST-CONCERT ACTIVITIES SPONSORED BY
