020 7222 1061. Student tickets are priced at just £10.
Officially, of course, there is no “chamber” Messiah. The idea to perform the piece with just eight singers (all budding young soloists) taking choruses and arias, and with a reduced band (shorn of its woodwinds) of 14 players and without conductor is ours. We’ve been inspired by a number of prominent reduced-forces interpretations of Baroque masterworks which we’ve encountered: Paul McCreesh’s St Matthew Passion with the Gabrieli Consort, John Butt’s Messiah with Dunedin Consort – and in Julian’s case, by the recent experience of performing Bach’s Mass in B Minor one-to-a-part with Sigiswald Kuijken and the European Baroque Academy. What attracts us to these interpretations is their clarity – of the individual parts which emerge distinctly, and of the combinations of the individual parts, which are so much more accurate and clear. It’s not just a mechanical thing; we also think that the reduced forces bring about a performance which is much more personal and communicative. Splendour isn’t compromised either – the majesty of Handel’s vision is maintained in full force, but in sharp, intimate focus.
We’re extremely excited about how our chamber Messiah is going to sound - we hope that many of you are too and will join us at St John’s Smith Square on December 10th to hear and see it.