Event Details
Can Music Change the Course of History?
Three centuries ago, George Frideric Handel explored a bold idea: that music doesn't simply accompany a story, it can change how people think, feel, and act.
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale presents Handel's The Power of Music, featuring Alexander's Feast, a choral and vocal masterpiece inspired by a legendary banquet celebrating Alexander the Great's victory over Persia. As the feast unfolds, the poet and musician Timotheus leads the conqueror through a whirlwind of emotions, ultimately changing the course of history.
Bay Area audiences will be the first in the United States to hear the 1742 Dublin version of Alexander's Feast, created during Handel's extended stay in Ireland that culminated in the premiere of Messiah. Adapting the work for the performers available to him, Handel reassigns music between voice parts and expands it into three sections. Performed on period instruments and in the style of the time, you'll hear the music much as Handel and his first audiences did.
Following sold out season-opening performances of Handel's Tolomeo, Music Director Peter Whelan opens his first season with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale. Joined by soprano Sherezade Panthaki, mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson, tenor James Way, and the Philharmonia Chorale under the direction of Valerie Sainte-Agathe, these performances showcase the full power and mastery of Handel's writing for orchestra, soloists, and chorus.
Stanford: Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 PM (Bing Hall)
San Francisco: Friday, November 13 at 7:30 PM (Herbst Theatre)
Berkeley: Saturday, November 14 at 2:30 PM (First Congregational Church)
Tickets as low as $40. $20 tickets for Under 30s available in San Francisco and Berkeley. Learn more at philharmonia.org/power or call (415) 295-1900.
$20 - 125.
Presented by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale