Handel's Messiah

Event Details

Event type: All Ages

We are pleased to present a programme of highlights from Handel's Messiah as a special fundraising concert for St. Marys United Church.

Many envision Christmas when they hear Messiah spoken in reference to Handel's classical craftsmanship. Handel's composition details various epics of Christ's life--His birth, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection and eventual Messianic millennial rule. You behold through Handel's orchestrated psalms, the Old Testament prophesies concerning Messiah encompassed with the New Testament fulfillments.

Handel's Messiah is remarkable as it is the inspired Scripture set to orchestration. Messiah is absent of Handel's words; only holding his masterful musical scores. Handel knew this was his greatest work, his masterpiece. The first performance of The Messiah was designed to benefit a charity. Also, when King George first heard the Hallelujah he stood up on his feet and started the tradition ever since. When Handel died, he requested the soprano aria "I Know My Reedemer Liveth" be written on his tombstone and sung at his funeral. He felt that aria and music expressed everything he had set out to do as a composer. Spiritual, profound, inspirational, it is a work of sublime beauty and splendor.

Handel's Messiah has been described by the early-music scholar Richard Luckett as "a commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension", beginning with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in heaven. In contrast with most of Handel's oratorios, the singers in Messiah do not assume dramatic roles; there is no single, dominant narrative voice; and very little use is made of quoted speech. In his libretto, Jennens's intention was not to dramatize the life and teachings of Jesus, but to acclaim the "Mystery of Godliness", using a compilation of extracts from the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible, and from the Psalms included in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

London Pro Musica Choir is led by Paul Grambo (artistic director) and accompanied by Hayoon Kim. London Pro Musica Choir was founded in 1970 as a chamber choir, organized and run by its members. LPMC was the first, and remains the oldest, unaffiliated concert choir in London with a current membership of approximately 50 singers. More information is available at www.londonpromusica.ca

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