Wednesday, 24.05.2023, 19:30, Handel House, Renaissance Room
“Il Messia”. Handel’s most famous work is heard for the first time on the European mainland – in Florence and in the Italian language
Speaker: Dr. Juliane Riepe (Halle)
Unlike Bach, Telemann or Vivaldi, Handel is one of those few composers of the early modern period who did not have to be rediscovered by later generations – his work has been an uninterrupted part of European musical practice right up to the present day. On closer inspection, however, things are more complicated. Handel’s operas disappeared from the stages shortly after their first performance and remained unperformed for more than a century and a half. Until the 20th century, the composer’s posthumous fame was based primarily on his oratorios written in Great Britain and Ireland, which were, however, only performed there during his lifetime. After Handel’s death in 1759, several years passed before one of his oratorios was heard for the first time in mainland Europe – in Italy and in an Italian arrangement. In 2019, the Handel House Foundation acquired the oldest known source for this Italian version; in 2023, Il Messia will be heard for the first time at the Handel Festival in Halle. The lecture will present the Italian Messiah and trace its fascinating context of origin.