Handel and Haydn Society to Present MESSIAH at Symphony Hall, 11/29-12/1

The Handel and Haydn Society (H&H), led by Artistic Director Harry Christophers, opens a musical celebration of the holiday season with its 160th annual performances of George Frideric Handel's masterpiece Messiah, November 29-December 1, 2013, at Symphony Hall. The celebration continues with A Bach Christmas, an intimate program of Baroque music; and Holiday Sing, a participatory family program of carols and choral music for the season.

Now in his fifth consecutive year leading H&H's performances of Messiah and carrying this cherished tradition forward, Harry Christophers promises to uncover fresh meaning, drama, and emotion in the work. "Above all, Messiah is an entertainment which, in our performance, will test your emotions and be an inspiration to both performer and listener alike," he says. "This year we will be performing the work with the added frisson of a live recording." Four acclaimed soloists, who have given superb performances with H&H in the recent past, return to perform and record the work with Christophers and the H&H Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus: GillIan Keith, soprano; Daniel Taylor, countertenor; Tom Randle, tenor; and Sumner Thompson, baritone.

The history of Messiah in America is inextricably linked to the Handel and Haydn Society: H&H performed selections of Messiah at its first concert in 1815 and gave the American premiere of the entire work in 1818. It began its annual practice of performing the oratorio in 1854, thereby initiating an unparalleled, and unbroken, American musical tradition. Performance styles and ensemble sizes have changed over the years-the H&H amateur chorus numbered more than 600 in the late 19th century, for example, while today it comprises 40 professional singers-but H&H's commitment to performing this towering oratorio has remained constant. Under Christophers' direction, Handel and Haydn's keen, nuanced performances have won glowing reviews.

Composing Messiah in a brief, inspired burst in 1741, Handel premiered the oratorio in Dublin in 1742 to great acclaim. It was performed frequently in his lifetime, and he continued to tweak and rework the composition for the rest of his life. Setting a libretto by his collaborator Charles Jennens that used biblical passages to tell the story of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection, Handel originally intended Messiah to be performed at Easter. By the time Handel and Haydn Society brought the work to America, it had become widely associated with the Christmas season.

In anticipation of the institution's Bicentennial season, these performances of Messiah will be recorded live for release on the CORO label in October of 2014. H&H and CORO launched their first collaboration in 2010 with the release of Mozart's Mass in C minor, followed in 2011 by Mozart's Requiem, and in 2012 with Mozart's Coronation Mass. H&H has expanded their recording catalogue with Haydn, Vol. 1 in September 2013 and a new Christmas album entitled Joy to the World: An American Christmas, released in October 2013.

Juxtaposed with Handel's grand oratorio, H&H presents an intimate holiday program of choral gems, A Bach Christmas, on December 19 and 22, 2013, at Jordan Hall. Guest conductor Scott Metcalf, Artistic Director of Blue Heron and a specialist in early music, leads a chamber ensemble of the H&H Period Orchestra and Chorus. The program highlights vocal music composed for the Advent season, including works by Johann Sebastian Bach and his relatives, as well as Samuel Scheidt and Michael Praetorius. The centerpiece of the program is J.S. Bach's Cantata 62, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, which the composer wrote for the first Sunday in Advent in December 1724. In demand as a conductor and violinist with early-music groups across the country, Metcalf makes his debut with H&H in these performances.

On December 14 at Faneuil Hall, Handel and Haydn once again performs the popular Holiday Sing, a participatory program for all ages. H&H Associate Conductor and Chorusmaster John Finney conducts the H&H Chorus and members of the Vocal Apprenticeship Program's Young Women's and Young Men's Choruses in Christmas carols and holiday music. The audience is enthusiastically invited to sing along.