Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Northey conductor
Kathryn Radcliffe soprano
Dimity Shepherd mezzo-soprano
Louis Hurley tenor
Christopher Tonkin bass
MSO Chorus
Warren Trevelyan-Jones chorus director
Mornington Peninsula Chorale
Tom Pugh & Katrina Waters chorale directors
Program
Handel Messiah
About this performance
The MSO returns to Frankston Arts Centre for the first time in three years, this time with the mighty MSO Chorus!
Messiah is one of Handel's most popular works and offers many precious moments of music in its exquisite Choral writing, including its exultant and inspirational Hallelujah chorus.
This December, the MSO will be conducted by Benjamin Northey. Join soprano Kathryn Radcliffe, mezzo-soprano Dimity Shepherd, tenor Louis Hurley and bass Christopher Tonkin for Handel’s most well-loved and frequently-performed work.
Composed in 1741, the work is still as potent as it was 280 years ago, inspiring joy and wonder from both first-time listeners and the audience members who have sung along for many years.
- One of the most enduring works of all time, it only took Handel about 24 days to write Messiah. He began at the end of August in 1741, and his pen was down by mid-September, including the 48 hours he took to quickly work out the orchestration from his sketched-out draft.
- Messiah’s debut was at the Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742. It may seem like a strange location, but Dublin was quickly becoming one of Europe’s most flourishing cities, with many wealthy patrons keen to hear new, exciting work.
