The choral masterpiece Handel’s Messiah will be performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied by Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, in Hull this month.
The performance, sung by four superb soloists and massed choir, will take place at Hull City Hall on Thursday 18 April at 7.30pm.
From loud, bombastic choral movements, to delicate solo arias, it is a work that has something for all classical music fans.
It was born in 1741 when Handel’s regular librettist, patron of the arts Charles Jennens, presented him with the text for a new oratorio on the theme of Christ the Redeemer, based upon passages from the New and Old Testaments.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Adrian Partington.
Handel set to work on Messiah, their fourth collaboration, and re-emerged 25 days later. The feverish speed at which he composed is apparent on the original manuscript, which is covered in scribbles, smudges and ink blotches.
Cast in three parts, its most famous chorus is Hallelujah – with even Handel, who was not profoundly religious, saying while composing this rousing masterpiece, it was “as if I saw God on his throne and all his angels around him”.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Adrian Partington with soprano Fflur Wyn, mezzo-soprano Katie Bray, tenor Ji Hyun Kim and baritone Benjamin Bevan.
Get tickets at the Hull City Hall box office, call 01482 300 306 or book online here.
