Messiah by Handel – "la Caixa" Foundation's Participatory Concert
Christmas concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona
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Cast
Eleanor Dennis — Soprano
Carlos Mena — Alto
David Butt Philip — Tenor
David Soar — Bass
Amateur singers of “la Caixa” Foundation Participatory Concerts
Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música
Orquestra de Cadaqués
Joolz Gale — Conductor
Program notes
For the year's end celebrations, a great participatory concert takes place at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. Over 400 musicians are joining forces to perform Handel's oratorio Messiah. Thanks to the work of “la Caixa” Foundation, the concert brings together amateur singers with the Orquestra de Cadaqués and conductor Joolz Gale.
"la Caixa" Foundation's Participatory Concerts offer the unique opportunity to amateur singers to perform with famous orchestras, soloists and conductors of international reputation. This is also the goal of medici.tv: allow music lovers from all professions and ages to have the best access to classical music. Therefore, in the midst of its December programming, featuring magnificent documentaries, ballets, operas and concerts broadcast for Christmas and New Year's celebrations, medici.tv has chosen to webcast this concert, performed cheerfully by amateurs. Handel's oratorio Messiah will be performed on the stage of the stunning Palau de la Música Catalana for a delightful year-end concert. The choir will be joined by the Orquestra de Cadaqués conducted by Joolz Gale and by an enthusiastic audience. After months of rehearsal together, this musical project is finally happening. More than four hundred people of all ages and occupations, grouped by voices, will sing the choral parts of Messiah from the seats assigned at the Palau de la Música. This unique event is made possible thanks to "la Caixa" Foundation's strong commitment to culture.
The concert features a masterpiece of music History, Handel's English-language oratorio Messiah. Handel composed it in 1741 in only twenty-four days and twenty-four nights! It is based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. Divided into three parts, it gathers excerpts from the Old and the New Testament: prophecies of the Christ's Incarnation, the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Passion, the Ascension. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known of the sacred repertoire, and one of the most frequently performed choral works in Western music.
Celebrate the holidays with medici.tv and listen to this magnificent oratorio. Indeed, it is tradition to perform this piece during Advent. We thank "la Caixa" for organizing this event. This edition is particularly important, it is the 20th organized in Barcelona.
