(Boston October 14, 2022) The Handel and Haydn Society will kick off the holiday season with the glorious tradition of performing Handel Messiah at Symphony Hall. Always animated, Václav Luks, artistic director of Prague’s Collegium 1704, will conduct the orchestra and chorus for H+H’s 169th consecutive year performing the treasured celebration. Featured soloists include Deborah Cachet, soprano; Avery Amereau, contralto; Ben Bliss, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone. The three performances are Friday November 25th at 7:30 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are available now at HandelandHaydn.org.
One of the world’s best-known choral works, Messiah was first performed as a charity concert in Dublin in 1742. The Handel and Haydn Society gave the American premiere of the complete work in 1818 after first performing a portion of Messiah in 1815. H+H began showcasing the complete Messiah annually in 1854, making the glorious ‘Hallelujah!’ Chorus one of Boston’s longest-running holiday traditions. The work will be performed on the period instruments Handel knew and wrote for, wiping off the cobwebs and restoring its original vibrancy.
“Hearing the H+H Chorus triumphantly sing the ‘Hallelujah!’ Chorus brings the music to life, filling it with an energy and dramatic pulse,” said David Snead, Philip and Marjorie Gerdine President and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society. “If you’ve never heard H+H’s Messiah, you haven’t heard Messiah.”
Belgian soprano Deborah Cachet will make her American debut with this performance. A rising star, she was named the “Young Promise of the year 2020” by Klara Radio and has performed across Europe. American contralto Avery Amereau’s voice has been called a “rarity in music” by the New York Times and recently released her debut album with the Philharmonia Baroque in which she performed several of Handel’s arias. A regular performer at The Metropolitan Opera, award-winning American tenor Ben Bliss has gained rave reviews from past performance of Messiah including the Chicago Classical Review writing his recent performance contained “expressive poise, dramatic strength and assured agility in every aria.” American bass-baritone Kevin Deas is a true scholar of early music. The Juilliard graduate is a professor at Princeton and has gained international acclaim for performances with National Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Luks will return to Symphony Hall where he made his H+H debut in January of this year. The Czech conductor gained high praise during the energetic performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 7.
The Handel and Haydn Society Chorus will also take Messiah on the road and perform with the New York Philharmonic at the Lincoln Center’s new Geffen Hall December 13 – 17.
The 2022-23 Season
The Marriage of Figaro November 17 + 18 Symphony Hall
Handel Messiah November 25 + 26 + 27 Symphony Hall
A Baroque Christmas December 15 + 18 NEC Jordan Hall
Beethoven + Mozart January 6 + 8 Symphony Hall
Beethoven Eroica January 20 + 22 Symphony Hall
Bach Brandenburg Concertos February 17 + 19 NEC Jordan Hall + Sanders Theatre
Mozart + Mendelssohn March 17 + 19 NEC’s Jordan Hall
Bach Easter Oratorio March 31 + April 2 Symphony Hall
Crossing the Deep June 1 + 4 JFK Presidential Library and Museum
Subscription packages are also available and may be purchased by calling 617-266-3605 or visiting handelandhaydn.org.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society is dedicated to performing Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, a vitality, and a creativity that inspires all ages. H+H has been captivating audiences for 208 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States). Today, H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 50,000 listeners annually with a nine-week subscription series at Boston Symphony Hall and other leading venues. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, H+H supports seven youth choirs of singers in grades 2-12 and provides thousands of complimentary tickets to students and communities throughout Boston, ensuring the joy of music is accessible to all. H+H’s numerous free community concerts include an annual commemoration of the original 1863 Emancipation Proclamation concert on December 31. H+H has released 16 CDs on the Coro label and has toured nationally and internationally. In all these ways, H+H fulfills its mission to inspire the intellect, touch the heart, elevate the soul, and connect us with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.
