Handel and Haydn Society Celebrates the Spirit of the Season with Baroque Christmas
December 14 + 17, 2023 at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
Press performance is Thursday, December 14 at 7:30 PM
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(Boston) The Handel and Haydn Society is set to ring in the holidays with a celebration of the beauty of Baroque. Associate Conductor Ian Watson will lead the H+H Orchestra in a pair of performances December 14 + 17 at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Baroque Christmas will feature works by J.S. Bach, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Domenico Scarlatti, Evaristo Dall’Abaco, and Georg Telemann. H+H will be joined by acclaimed soloist Teresa Wakim, soprano and David McFerrin, baritone. Tickets are available now at handelandhaydn.org.
Grammy-nominated soprano Teresa Wakim and critically acclaimed baritone David McFerrin will perform with the H+H Orchestra on a trio of works from J.S. Bach’s monumental Christmas Oratorio, “Herr, ein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen,” “Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen,” and “Grosser Herr.”
“This will be the holidays the H+H way, music performed with passion and care in the style the composer intended,” said David Snead, Philip and Marjorie Gerdine President and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society. “Our audience will leave inspired and refreshed, ready to face a cold December in Boston with the holiday warmth and glow.”
Grammy-nominated violinist Christina Day Martinson will join H+H as the orchestra paints a picture of falling snow and chilling wind with Vivaldi’s masterpiece “Winter” from the Four Seasons. The holiday concerts will also include Charpentier’s instrumental delight Noels pour les instruments, Scarlatti’s Cantata pastorale per la nascità di Nostro Signore, Dall’abaco’s Sinfonia in C, and finally historical instrument expert Steven Marquardt joins H+H on Baroque trumpet for Telemann’s Trumpet Sonata in D Major.
The concerts will begin with the H+H Youth Choruses Chamber Choir presenting Un Relox À Visto Andrésand Xicochi, xicochi conetzintle by Portuguese-Mexican composer Gaspar Fernándes.
Multi-talented Ian Watson is associate conductor and principal keyboard with the Handel and Haydn Society. He has appeared with most major UK orchestras and also the Polish and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestras, Bremen Philharmonic, Rhein-Main Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Komische Oper Berlin, and Darmstadt State Opera among numerous others. He is featured on many film soundtracks including Amadeus, Polanski’s Death and the Maiden, Restoration, Cry the Beloved Country, Voices from A Locked Room, and the BBC‘s production of David Copperfield.
The 2023-24 Season
Baroque Christmas Dec 14 + 17, 2023 NEC’s Jordan Hall
British Baroque Feb 2 + 4, 2024 NEC’s Jordan Hall
Harry, Haydn + Mozart Feb 23 + 25, 2024 Symphony Hall
Beethoven 9 Mar 15 + 16, 2024 Symphony Hall
Bach + Telemann Mar 22 + 24, 2024 NEC’s Jordan Hall
Bach B Minor Mass Apr 5 + 7, 2024 Symphony Hall
Brahms Requiem Apr 19 + 21, 2024 Symphony Hall
Brandenburg Concertos May 2 + 3 + 4, 2024 Sanders Theatre & NEC’s Jordan Hall
Individual tickets and subscription packages from 3 to 11 concerts are now available with access to the best seats at great savings and may be purchased by calling 617-262.1815 or visiting www.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 209 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.
