The 13th of April 1742 in Dublin marks the first performance of the Messiah, a work composed in less than a month, for the benefit of charitable institutions and under the baton of Handel himself. Success was immediate, to the point of identifying the composer with this work for the next two centuries almost to the exclusion of everything else he wrote (operas, oratorios, instrumental and vocal pieces, etc.), and turning his Halleluia chorus into an informal second British national anthem.

Composed of excerpts from scripture, this oratorio is divided into three parts – Annunciation and Nativity, Passion, Resurrection. The work is simple, spontaneous and enchanting, with an exceptional part for the choir, evoking a triumphant and majestic image of the Christ, quite far from the Passions representing the Christ suffering.

After presenting at the Lille Opera several of Handel’s masterpieces (Tamerlano, Theodora, The Resurrection), Emmanuelle Haïm and le Concert d’Astree turn to the most celebrated page of Handel’s oeuvre. With communicative talents that allow her to create a rare symbiosis between soloists, choir and orchestra, she invites each and every one of these artists to give the best of themselves, rendering justice to the magnificent phrasing and expressive wealth of these sublimes pages.

With

Le Concert d’Astrée Choir & Orchestra
Musical Direction Emmanuelle Haïm

Laura Claycomb Soprano
Matthew White Alto
John Tessier Tenor
Christopher Purves Bass

Musical Patronage

Société Générale Patronage Musicale is the principal patron of le Concert d’Astree.
As ensemble in residence at the Lille Opera, le Concert d’Astree benefits from assistance from the Ministry of Culture and Communication – DRAC Nord-Pas de Calais. It also receives support from CulturesFrance and the Lille Metropolitan Urban Community for its concert tours.