Israel in Egypt: March 28
Handel’s Israel in Egypt is a paramount piece in music history: it’s the twin sibling of Messiah and the work that inspired Haydn (and thus several generations of composers in his wake) to get into the oratorio game. It’s also a piece of Harmonia history, having been performed 10 times over the course of our organization’s 56-year existence. This will be a revival for the ages and is sure to become a new favorite of recent Harmonia converts.
The Planets: May 8
Gustav Holst wrote The Planets between 1914 and 1918, reflecting the anger, desolation, joy and mystery of the Roman deistic pantheon. At precisely the same time, the young French composer Lili Boulanger explored the same gamut of emotions in her settings of the Psalms. Hearing these masterpieces back to back at Benaroya Hall is a tantalizing musical experience not to be missed.