Nashville Symphony & Chorus Celebrate the Season with Handel’s Messiah on December 13 – 16
Tickets start at only $25 with promo code MESSIAH
Nashville, Tenn. (December 3, 2018) — A Music City holiday tradition returns as Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero leads the Nashville Symphony and Chorus on George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, December 13-16 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Featuring the spectacular “Hallelujah” Chorus, performances take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 13; 8 p.m. on Friday & Saturday, December 14 & 15; and 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 16. Great seats starting at $25 are available for all four performances when buyers use the promo code MESSIAH. (Pricing valid while supplies last. Additional fees apply.)
Guerrero last conducted the Nashville Symphony & Chorus’ Messiah in 2015, and these performances are his first collaboration on Handel’s masterpiece with Chorus Director Tucker Biddlecombe. An all-star lineup of vocalists — soprano Jessica Rivera, countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Benjamin Butterfield and baritone Hadleigh Adams — rounds out the roster of performers.
About the Program
Some fascinating lore surrounds Messiah, which was composed in 1741. Following are a handful of fun facts about the work:
- Messiah has a rich history in Music City. The Nashville Symphony Chorus was formed in 1963 for the orchestra’s first-ever performance of the work, and many current members of the ensemble count it as their favorite piece to perform.
- Though most often associated with the Christmas season, Messiah was actually written for an Easter celebration. Librettist Charles Jennens’ text is based on biblical stories of Jesus, but only the first part of the Messiah deals with his birth. The second and third acts cover the death and resurrection of Christ, respectively, and the work premiered in Dublin during Lent.
- Much mystery surrounds the tradition of audiences standing for the “Hallelujah” Chorus. Legend has it King George II of England stood at the start of the “Hallelujah” Chorus during the Messiah’s 1743 London premiere, with the rest of the audience following suit in accordance with royal etiquette at the time. This anecdote is not supported by evidence, however, and there is speculation as to whether the monarch even attended the premiere.
- According to scholars, Handel completed the original version of Messiah in just 24 days. That astonishingly quick pace is even more remarkable considering the work’s size: the original score is nearly 260 pages and contains upwards of a quarter of a million notes. One scholar estimated that if the composer had worked on the piece for roughly 10 hours each day over the course of three-and-a-half weeks, he was writing at a continuous pace of 15 notes per minute.
- Handel’s Messiah almost never happened: In 1704, he was assisting in a performance of Johann Mattheson’s opera Cleopatra, during which Mattheson was both conducting and singing. Mattheson returned to the harpsichord to resume his conducting duties after finishing one of his vocal parts, but Handel reportedly refused to vacate the keyboard. Their argument escalated into an altercation that spilled out onto the street, where both men drew their swords. When Mattheson struck his colleague, his blade broke on a tiny button on Handel’s coat. The small piece of metal has been called “the button that saved Messiah.”
Tickets for Guerrero Conducts Handel’s Messiah may be purchased:
- Online at NashvilleSymphony.org/Messiah
- Via phone at 615.687.6400
- At the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Box Office, One Symphony Place in downtown Nashville
Additional information, including audio program notes, performer bios and a Spotify playlist, can be found at NashvilleSymphony.org/Messiah.
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony has earned an international reputation for its innovative programming and its commitment to performing, recording and commissioning works by America’s leading composers. The Nashville Symphony has released 29 recordings on Naxos, which have received 24 GRAMMY® nominations and 13 GRAMMY® Awards, making it one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. The orchestra has also released recordings on Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and New West Records, among other labels. With more than 140 performances annually, the orchestra offers a broad range of classical, pops and jazz, and children’s concerts, while its extensive education and community engagement programs reach 60,000 children and adults each year.
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