The baroque orchestra Vespres d'Arnadí performs Händel's ‘The Messiah’ at the Palau de Barcelona.
The concert will feature the soprano Maria Hinojosa, the mezzo Marta Infante, the tenor Joan Francesc Folqué and the baritone Guillem Batllori.
One of the best-known oratories by the British-born German composer Georg Friedrich Händel was composed in 1741 in just three weeks, but in the 21st century it has become one of the most celebrated choral pieces on the planet. You will experience it once again, with exceptional views and music performed by Vespres d'Arnadí, a well-known ensemble specialising in Baroque music conducted by Xavier Puig.
The orchestra will perform a trio of great moments from The Messiah, including, of course, the famous Hallelujah, which is one of the great climaxes of the composition. The performance is organised by the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès and the Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música, who, in addition to Vespres d'Arnadí, have summoned to the stage the essential voices of the Cor Bruckner Barcelona, conducted by Júlia Sesé.
The music explains fragments of the life of Jesus, from his birth to his resurrection, and has vocal parts for soloists which, in the concert at the Palau on Sunday 22 December, will be those of the soprano Maria Hinojosa, the mezzo Marta Infante, the tenor Joan Francesc Folqué and the baritone Guillem Batllori.
As a curiousity, it should be noted that the work, first performed on 13 April 1742, was intended more as a celebration of Easter, but over time it has become an almost essential Christmas classic. It is an oratorio in a style that is more German than Italian, unlike earlier compositions.
It is the work of a German composer who, in 1714, moved to live in London, where in 1727 he became a naturalised Briton. King George II and the British nobility of the time financed the performances of his compositions, which during his career oscillated between works in Italian and oratories in English, especially since, in the 1730s, the taste for Italian opera began to wane in Britain.
If you don't want to miss the performance of the oratory The Messiah Vespres d'Arnadí, the Cor Bruckner Barcelona and the solo singers, come to the Palau de la Música, but first check the website for information on the concert.