All for a Good Cause

Donald Macleod ends the week in Dublin, where Handel’s relationship to patronage shifts decisively. Invited not by a traditional employer but by the Duke of Devonshire, he arrived to give a season of concerts that were as much about public benefit as artistic display. Here, patronage becomes less personal and more civic: performances raise funds, institutions benefit, and Handel’s music becomes the means through which generosity is organised and amplified. The premiere of Messiah sits at the centre of this, conceived on a grand scale but first heard in support of local charities.

Messiah: Sinfonia
Irish Baroque Orchestra
Peter Whelan, conductor

L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato: “Sweet bird”
Christine Brandes, soprano
Orchestre de Chambre de Paris
John Nelson, conductor

Imeneo: excerpts
Europa Galante
Fabio Biondi, conductor

Messiah, Part III: excerpts
Irish Baroque Orchestra
Irish Baroque Choir
Peter Whelan, conductor

Foundling Hospital Anthem: excerpts
Winchester Cathedral Choir
The Brandenburg Consort
David Hill, conductor