Messiah by Handel ( Barcelona, Spain). 2015

Eleanor Dennis soprano Carlos Mena alto David Butt Philip tenor David Soar bass Amateur singers of la Caixa Foundation Participatory Concerts Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Orquestra de Cadaqués Joolz Gale conductor Location : Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona, Spain) Broadcast date : Dec. 15, 2015 The concert features a masterpiece of music History, Handel s Englishlanguage oratorio Messiah. Handel composed it in 1741 in only twentyfour days and twentyfour nights It is based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. Divided into three parts, it gathers excerpts from the Old and the New Testament: prophecies of the Christ s Incarnation, the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Passion, the Ascension. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the bestknown of the sacred repertoire, and one of the most frequently performed choral works in Western music.