THE GERMAN composer who introduced Italian opera to London, and who also brought his Messiah to Dublin, is being celebrated in a number of free events throughout the city this week.
One of the giants of baroque music, George Frideric Handel, who died 249 years ago yesterday, April 13th, had also conducted the first performance of Messiah in Fishamble Street, on the same day, April 13th, some 17 years earlier, in 1742.
It was a great success, as one mid-18th century reporter noted: "words are wanting to express the exquisite delight it afforded to the admiring crouded audience. The sublime, the grand, and the tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick and moving words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished heart and ear."
Many ravished hearts and ears appeared to have been transported yesterday afternoon as, undaunted by sporadic showers, the men and women of Our Lady's Choral Society, under Prionnsias Ó Dúinn, marked the 266th anniversary of that performance, by singing the splendid choruses from Messiah to a happy, open air audience. It also marked the opening of the festival which honours Handel and his association with Dublin.
Organised by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and Dublin City Council, this week's festival is offering a mixture of concerts, performances and related events culminating at Christ Church Cathedral on Friday at 7.30pm with a complete performance of Messiah sung by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral with Orchestra of St Cecilia under director Judy Martin.
Christ Church will tomorrow night be filled by another of Handel's masterpieces, a brilliant early work, Dixit Dominus, with its striking choral effects and lively punched-out rhythms.
Composed in Rome in April, 1707 when Handel was only 22, Dixit Dominus is his earliest surviving choral work and a major piece of Latin church music involving chorus. The three years he spent in Italy proved valuable to the young Handel and he
may well have approached his Dixit Dominus with the intention of surpassing a version by Scarlatti.
Handel's piece is beautiful and exuberant; it also underlines exactly how catchy his tunes are. The choir of Christ Church Cathedral will be joined by the Cathedral choir of St Patrick's Cathedral, and Orchestra of St Cecilia under Judy Martin.
Australian Tristan Russcher will play Handel's organ concerto Opus 7 No 4 in D minor. Earlier tomorrow evening baroque violinist, Swiss-born Maya Homburger, will perform Handel violin sonatas at another of Dublin's historic churches, St Audoen's at Cornmarket, with Barry Guy.
On Wednesday at 1pm a selection of Handel's operatic arias will be sung at St Patrick's Cathedral. As with all the other events, admission is free.
Whereas Handel's great contemporary, JS Bach, saw the human voice as another instrument, Handel composed many of his pieces for specific singers. The age he lived in was rich in great singers, many of whom he knew personally.
Handel died in London in 1759 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
See www.templebar.ie for further details of Dublin Handel Festival April 13-18th. Admission free to all events.
