Handel's oratorio "Alexander Festival"

As always, the text and the German translation will be projected onto the church wall for the audience to read along with.


The Plot:

The power and charm of music are initially portrayed in the ode through a feast held by Alexander the Great to mark his victory over the Persians (330 BC). The singer Timotheus praises the victorious ruler, extolling the earthly pleasures granted by Bacchus, but also reminds us of the destructive power of war in the fate of the Persian king Darius and sings of the truly divine gift of love, before calling for vengeance for the fallen Greek warriors in the second part.

Finally, the connection to modern Christianity is established by declaring Timothy the forerunner of Saint Cecilia, and by praising Saint Cecilia herself. The vast emotional range of the situations presented offered Handel an equally broad field for the contrasting musical portrayal and illustration of emotions.

Two aspects are particularly striking when listening: First, the emotions surrounding the events of war are highly topical. They range from the triumphant euphoria of victory to various, sometimes sensual, rewards and recognition for the warrior, all the way to the deeply empathetically composed, worst price that many pay in war: the cruel and sometimes absolutely solitary death on the battlefield (“...with not a friend to close his eyes.”). This thoughtful choral setting is one of the most impressive in the entire work.

Also striking is the late appearance of Cecilia, the saint of church music. According to the (unrealistic but powerful) legend, she is the one who introduced the organ to Christians for worship. Handel contrasts the monophonic flute of secular antiquity, played with limited human breath, with the organ of the Christian Cecilia. Her "new" instrument, constructed with "artistic skill and mother wit," can now produce infinitely long tones, even in polyphonic harmony:
"...and added length to solemn sounds / enlarged the former narrow bounds / with nature's motherwit, and arts unknown before..."

Of course, Handel uses all his artistic and effective means to illustrate these achievements musically.

The concert, including an interval, lasts until approximately 7:45 p.m.

Tickets are available from April 24, as always, at the parish office, the Haberland bookstore, and online.