Händel's “Messiah”

RECORDINGS OF THE WORKS

Georg Friedrich Händel: Messias

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Klosterbakken 2,
5000 Odense

Händel's “Messiah”

Description

It has become an annual tradition for Sct. Pauls Cantori, Aarhus, to perform Händel's "Messiah" in the weeks leading up to Christmas, with an orchestra of leading musicians from the regional orchestras, several of them principal players, and four of the country's leading oratorio soloists. The work is performed almost uncut, in its full length. Sct. Pauls Cantori Orchestra with musicians from the regional orchestras The tradition was founded more than 20 years ago by Thomas Kristian Nielsen, organist and cantor at Sct. Pauls Kirke in Aarhus. Ever since, it has been a sell-out close to Christmas. Sct. Pauls Cantori consists of young professional singers, mainly students or graduates in singing from Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium and Aarhus University. The Cantori takes part in all church services at Sct. Pauls Kirke and has a good deal of concert activity, performing among other things the great church-music oratorios for soloists, choir and orchestra - including Bach's "St John Passion", Brahms's "Requiem" and Mozart's "Requiem". The Cantori has regular collaborations with several of the region's leading orchestral musicians and ensembles such as Randers Kammerorkester, Århus Sinfonietta and groups of musicians from both Aarhus and Odense Symfoniorkester. The soloists are all highly experienced oratorio singers: Julie Krog Jensen is a Danish soprano with a special interest in Baroque music and ensemble singing. She graduated in classical singing from Syddansk Musikkonservatorium in Odense in 2019, and in early music from the Royal Conservatoire The Hague in the Netherlands in 2022. Julie is an active concert singer, mainly in the Baroque repertoire. Her previous solo engagements include the soprano parts in Händel's Messiah, Bach's St Matthew Passion, La Paix in Charpentier's Les Arts Florissants and Te Deum, and Fauré's Requiem. She also has a large repertoire of Baroque cantatas as well as 19th- and 20th-century lieder. The mezzo-soprano Jara Kanzler Schmidt-Hemmet trained at Syddansk Musikkonservatorium in Odense and at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz in Germany, where she made her debut in the winter of 2025. With her bright mezzo voice, Jara has worked mainly with oratorios and lieder, and she has been heard in, among other works, Bach's St John Passion, Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle and Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. The tenor David Danholt completed his studies at the Opera Academy at Det Kgl. Teater in 2005. David Danholt has an extensive concert career at home and abroad and has sung a large number of opera roles at, among others, Den jyske Opera and Den Kgl. Opera. He is one of the most frequently engaged tenor soloists for "Messiah" in Denmark. The baritone Thomas Storm graduated from the Opera Academy at Det Kongelige Teater in 2011 and has subsequently pursued further studies in New York. He has been a soloist with most of the regional orchestras and opera houses in Denmark and has a large concert career at home and abroad. Thomas Storm is also artistic director of Aalborg Operafestival. The orchestra consists of musicians from the regional orchestras, several of them principal players. The concertmaster is Signe Madsen, who is otherwise 2nd concertmaster of Odense Symfoniorkester. The conductor is Thomas Kristian Nielsen, organist and cantor at Sct. Pauls Kirke, Aarhus. This year he celebrates his 25th anniversary at the church. He is artistic and administrative director of Sct. Pauls Cantori, with whom he has performed Händel's "Messiah" more than 30 times over the past two decades. The concert lasts approx. 2 ½ hours including an interval Tickets are bought via Ticketmaster: --> Buy tickets for Messiah at Odense Domkirke Price: 295,00 kr. each + admin fee of 15,00 kr.