Richmond Symphony Presents HANDEL'S MESSIAH, Today

For generations, Richmonders have been delighted by this magnificent holiday classic. Let The Richmond Symphony Chorus and The Richmond Symphony, conducted by Erin Freeman, surround you in the sounds of the season during Handel's Messiah! One night only-Friday, December 6 - 7:30pm at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage.

Tickets start at just $12 online at richmondsymphony.com or 1.800.514 ETIX. $7 college student tickets available at the Richmond CenterStage box office with valid student ID.

This concert is sponsored by The Wauford Group. Media sponsor is Boomer Magazine.

About the Richmond Symphony

Founded in 1957, the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 200 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 250,000 members of the community enjoy concerts, radio broadcasts, and educational outreach programs. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Richmond Symphony Chorus

James Erb organized the all-volunteer Richmond Symphony Chorus in 1971 for a December performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, under guest conductor Robert Shaw. For 36 years, Erb continued to direct and build the Chorus to reflect the Symphony's high standards. Erin Freeman assumed leadership of the Chorus at the start of its 2007-08 season. The repertoire for its selected volunteer membership has included most of the standard repertoire for chorus and orchestra: Bach's St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion and Mass in BMinor, Haydn's Creation, Beethoven's Symphony No.9 and Choral Fantasy, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Requiem settings by Mozart, Brahms, Verdi and Faure, Mahler's Symphony No.2, Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony and all of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe. Over the years they have also sung shorter choral-orchestral works by Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Bruckner, Delius, Debussy, Barber, Britten, Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen and Luigi Dallapiccola. Recent projects have included a performance and recording of Mahler Symphony No. 8 with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, under the direction of JoAnn Falletta, a performance with the Richmond Symphony in the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC., and a recreation of the Chorus's inaugural performance of Missa Solemnis.

Program Notes

Erin R. Freeman, conductor

Richmond Symphony Chorus Michelle Areyzaga, soprano William Ferguson, tenor Sumner Thompson, bass Kendall Gladen, mezzo soprano

George Frederic HANDEL

Messiah 1741 1. Sinfonia

PART I
2. Arioso (Tenor): Comfort ye, my people
3. Aria (Tenor): Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4. Chorus: And the Glory of the Lord
5. Recitative (Bass): Thus saith the Lord
6. Aria ( Version B, Bass): But who may abide the day
7. Chorus: And he shall purify
8. Recitative (Alto): Behold, a virgin shall conceive 9. Air and Chorus (Alto): O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
10. Arioso (Bass): For behold, darkness shall cover the earth.
11. Air (Bass): The people that walked in darkness 12. Chorus: For unto us a Child is Born
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
14. Recitative (Soprano): There were shepherds abiding;

15. Arioso (Version A: Soprano): And lo, the angel of the Lord
16. Recitative (Soprano): And the angel said unto them
17. Arioso (Soprano): And suddenly, there was with the angel
18. Chorus: Glory to God in the Highest
19. Air (Version B: Soprano): Rejoice greatly
20. Recitative (Version B: Alto): Then shall the eyes of the blind
21. Air (Version B: Alto): He shall feed his flock Air (Soprano): Come unto Him, all ye that labor 22. Chorus: His yoke is easy, and His burthen is light

PART II
23. Chorus: Behold the Lamb of God
24. Air (Version A: Alto): He was despised
25a Chorus: Surely He hath bourne our griefs
25b Chorus: And with His stripes we are healed 25c Chorus: All we like sheep have gone astray 26. Arioso (Tenor): All they that see Him
27. Chorus: He trusted in God
29. Recitative (Tenor): Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
30. Airioso (Tenor): Behold and see if there be if there be any sorrow
30. Recitative (Soprano): He was cut off
31. Air (Soprano): But Thou didst not leave His soul in Hell
32. Chorus: Lift up your heads
38. Air (Version A: Bass): Why do the nations so furiously rage
39. Chorus: Let us break their bonds asunder
40. Recitative (Tenor): He that dwelleth in Heaven 41. Air (Version A: Tenor): Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron
42. Chorus: Hallelujah

PART III
43. Air (Soprano): I know that my Redeemer liveth 44. Chorus: Since by man came death
45. Recitative (Bass): Behold, I tell you a mystery

46. Air (Bass): The trumpet shall sound
47. Recitative (Alto): Then shall be brought to pass 48a Duet (Version A, B: Alto and Tenor): O death, where is thy sting?
48b Chorus: But thanks be to God
49. Air (Soprano): If God be for us
50a Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb.

Richmond Symphony Chorus Michelle Areyzaga, soprano William Ferguson, tenor Sumner Thompson, bass Kendall Gladen, mezzo soprano

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