Streaming Concert Will Be Available Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 3:00 PM
[Boston Tuesday, April 27, 2021] The Handel and Haydn Society will celebrate two Classical masters with their final performance of the spring season. Directed by concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky, the H+H Orchestra will expertly perform works by Haydn and Joseph Bologne the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Both pieces will be H+H premieres.
Haydn + Saint-Georges will be available for free, with a suggested donation of $10, through the Handel and Haydn Society website at handelandhaydn.org/concerts-tickets/2020-21-season/, and on the H+H Facebook and YouTube channels. The concert will stream on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET, and will be available for one month. H+H season subscribers and donors of $100 or more will receive additional content and early access to the performance two days before the public.
A delightful juxtaposition of two of the greatest composers and trendsetters of the 18th century, the performance will begin with the Allegro (1st movement) of the Violin Concerto in G Major, Op. 2, No. 1 of Joseph Bologne. This violin concerto stunned Parisian society. It is full of charm, wit, and virtuosity. His performance created a sensation and launched his remarkable musical career. Born the son of an enslaved person, Chevalier de Saint-Georges went on to become one of the first known Classical composers of African descent. He was also the concertmaster of the orchestra that commissioned Haydn’s Paris symphonies.
The stream will also include Joseph Haydn’s lyrical Symphony No. 43, Mercury. A quintessential example of Haydn’s best symphony writing, the Symphony No. 43 is a vehicle for the whole orchestra to shine and will be a contrast to the solo virtuosity of the violin concerto. Scored for strings, two oboes, and two horns the H+H Orchestra will include members of the woodwind and brass sections for the first time this season, marking the largest performance for H+H since the pandemic began.
“We are absolutely delighted to be able to present some of our wonderful wind players in this concert,” said Nosky. “We have missed them and their talent so much over the past few months and we are eager to have them back to play some celebratory music!”
Haydn + Saint-Georges will begin streaming Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Anyone wishing to view the concert is asked to register now through the Handel and Haydn Society website at handelandhaydn.org/concerts/2020-21/haydn-st-georges/.
The Handel and Haydn Society’s 2020–21 Season Performances include:
Mozart A Little Night Music – May 4, 2021, Streaming online
Haydn + Saint-Georges – May 25, 2021, Streaming online
A broad offering of H+H digital content can be found on the Watch + Listen page of its website.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s 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 206 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. The artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society is Harry Christophers. Under Christophers’s leadership, H+H has released 15 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.