HANDEL Messiah
Le Concert d’Astrée and its Music Director, Emmanuelle Haïm, return to Ibermúsica for the third consecutive year to perform Handel’s Messiah on the eve of the Christmas season. The most celebrated oratorio in the history of music is based on a libretto by Charles Jennens adapted from the Bible and recounts, through a monumental musical architecture, the birth of Jesus, His Passion, and the promise of humanity’s redemption. With brilliant counterpoint and exquisite melodic writing, Handel composed—in just three weeks—an extraordinary score for four solo voices, chorus, and orchestra. Its famous “Hallelujah” has become a universal anthem and is one of the most beautiful passages in musical history. Since its successful premiere in Dublin in 1742, Messiah has been performed continuously to the present day, becoming an indispensable work of the choral repertoire.
