The Dublin premiere of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah in 1742 was a humanitarian charity concert to benefit hospitals and prisons. To accommodate a larger audience, ladies were asked to wear skirts without hoops, and gentleman were asked to leave their swords at home. More than 700 people crammed into a hall designed to seat 600, while many others were turned away.
Since then, Handel’s Messiah “has fed the hungry, clothed the naked, fostered the orphan […] more than any single musical production in this or any other country,” as the historian Charles Burney observed.
There’s still time to catch the glory of a live orchestra and chorus performance of Messiah. The Mankato Symphony performs it Saturday and Sunday in St. Peter and Fairmount, respectively. Meanwhile, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Singers collaborate to end their holiday season with a traditional Messiah on Thursday and Friday at the gorgeous cathedral environs of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and at home Saturday and Sunday at Ordway Concert Hall in St. Paul.
Let the Messiahthon begin. Rejoice greatly!
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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment‘s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
