Performances Feb 7 + 9 at NEC’s Jordan Hall Celebrate the Vocal and Instrumental Music of George Frideric Handel
BOSTON | The Handel and Haydn Society welcomes acclaimed soprano Joélle Harvey to join the H+H Orchestra under the direction of Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen to present “Love, Handel,” a program of three passionate works by George Frideric Handel at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall on February 7 + 9. The concerts showcase Harvey on two of Handel’s secular cantatas composed while he was in Italy; also on the program is the first of Handel’s opus 6 concertos, considered one of the pinnacles of concerto composition in western Baroque music. The H+H Youth Choruses Chamber Choir accompanied by the H+H Orchestra will open each performance with two songs from Handel oratorios: “O Love Divine” from Theodora and “Happy We!” from Acis and Galatea.
“This Valentine’s Day we invite you to fall in love with the brilliance and beauty of Handel’s music, performed on period instruments like Handel knew and composed for, and as it was heard by its original listeners,” said David Snead, Philip and Marjorie Gerdine President and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society.“We are delighted to welcome audience favorite Joélle Harvey back to the H+H stage for these performances. Her extraordinary vocal range and expressive, precise delivery is perfectly suited to bring Handel’s cantatas to life.”
With Cohen serving as conductor, director, and storyteller all in one,“Love, Handel” takes audiences on a musical journey through two dramatic cantatas based on tragic Greek myths. The cantata’s virtuosic soprano solos will be performed by Joélle Harvey, who regularly appears with the major orchestra and opera companies of the United States and Europe including the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, The Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Symphony, The English Concert, Opernhaus Zürich, and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Harvey last performed with H+H at the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in New York City in July 2024.
“Love, Handel” Program
● Delirio amoroso (Love’s delirium) tells the story of Cloris’ Orpheus-like descent into the underworld to rescue her beloved Tyrsis; scored for soprano, oboes, strings, and continuo.
● Tra le fiamme (Among the flames) conveys the dangers of love through a retelling of the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, paired with imagery of a butterfly attracted to a flame; features the viola da gamba, a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played “da gamba” (held between the legs).
● Also on the program is Handel’s Concerto Grosso in G Major, showcasing the full range of his compositional styles in five movements of contrasting moods including dance-like Allegros and a bittersweet Adagio.
Concert Information
The Handel and Haydn Society presents Love, Handel at NEC’s Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough St, Boston) on Friday, February 7 at 7:30pm and Sunday, February 9 at 3:00pm.
Forty-five minutes prior to each performance all ticket holders are invited to Musically Speaking in Williams Hall. Hosted by H+H’s Christopher Hogwood Historically Informed Performance Fellow Teresa Neff, Ph.D. this talk provides background and context about the music and composers on the program.
Individual tickets and subscription packages are still available for purchase by calling 617.262.1815 or visiting handelandhaydn.org.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society performs Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, a vitality, and a creativity that inspires all ages. Called “one of the most exciting ensembles of historically informed performances in the world” (OperaWire), H+H has been captivating audiences for 210 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States), speaking to its singular success at welcoming new audiences to this extraordinary music, generation after generation.
H+H performed the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s Messiah in its first concert in 1815, gave the American premiere in 1818, and ever since has been both a musical and a civic leader in the Boston community. During the Civil War, H+H gave numerous concerts in support of the Union Army (H+H member Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”) and on January 1, 1863, H+H performed at the Grand Jubilee Concert celebrating the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. Two years later, H+H performed at the memorial service for Abraham Lincoln.
H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 76,000 listeners annually through concerts at Symphony Hall and other leading venues as well as radio broadcasts. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Learning and 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 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 all of us with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.