Conductor Proinnsías Ó Duinn
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra will perform Handel’s Messiah, one of the world’s most famous and beloved English-language oratorios, at Knock Basilica on Saturday, November 18. Overflowing with the most exciting choral writing, thundering timpani and blazing trumpets, the Messiah is renowned for its rousing score.
Composed in 1971, the first-ever performance of the Messiah took place in Ireland, at Neal’s New Musick Hall on Dublin’s Fishamble Street, on April 13, 1742. According to Handel himself, the ‘subscription list of six hundred persons was quite filled’, as ladies heeded pleas by management to wear dresses ‘without hoops’ in order to make ‘room for more company’ – something that is unlikely to be a problem at the more-commodious basilica.
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra will be conducted by Proinnsías Ó Duinn, with a 180-strong choir and an incomparable line-up of international soloists, including Claudia Boyle, Julian Hubbard, Christopher Cull and Mayo’s own Anne Marie Gibbons, who hails from Louisburgh.
Alto Anne Marie Gibbons appears regularly with both the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. She is a former English National Opera Company Principal, and her many international credits include performances in Paris, Adelaide, Lausanne and London’s Covent Garden.
A former member of the Salzburger Festspiele’s prestigious Young Singers’ Project, soprano Claudia Boyle has dramatically raised her international profile in recent seasons through highly acclaimed performances in Zurich, Rome, London, Berlin and New York.
International tenor Julian Hubbard’s engagements take him from Dublin to the Edinburgh and Aldeburgh Festivals, Brussels, Montepulciano, Stuttgart and to the Wigmore Hall, London.
Northern Ireland bass Christopher Cull is an alumnus of Queens University Belfast, The Royal Irish Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio London. Appearances include London, Dublin, Belfast and Aberdeen.
Proinnsías Ó Duinn served as Principal Conductor with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra from 1978 to 2002 when he was appointed Conductor Laureate. During this time he recorded commercially, with both the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. His repertoire ranges from popular music to major symphonies and includes many national and world premières.
Ó Duinn conducts the international Messiah-Choir by invitation every year at the German city of Halle, the birthplace of Handel, and is the pre-eminent interpreter of the Messiah in Ireland.
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra has been introducing orchestral music to new audiences since 1948 and was voted World’s Favourite Orchestra in an international poll (Bachtrack.com, 2015).
Our Lady’s Choral Society (OLCS) will join forces with Cór Mhaigh Eo and Ballina Chamber Choir for the Knock performance. Founded in Dublin in 1945, OLCS appears regularly at the National Concert Hall with the National Orchestras. With the added might of Ballina Chamber Choir and Cór Mhaigh Eo, the Basilica’s roof will be raised with breathtaking choruses, including the Hallelujah and the great Amen.
Presented by RTÉ lyric FM’s Liz Nolan, this concert promises to be truly unforgettable. If it doesn’t get you in the mood for Christmas, nothing will!
For tickets (€30/€25), visit www.knockmessiah.com or drop into the Knock Basilica Information Office, Knock Basilica, or Downtown Records in Castlebar or Westport. For more information, contact knockmessiah@gmail.com. Doors open 6.30pm, concert starts at 7.30pm.
Knock Basilica to host Messiah
