Handel Festival, Halle
Encyclopedia
The Handel Festival in Halle (Saale) is an international music festival, concentrating on the music of George Frideric Handel
, in the composer's birthplace in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. The festival was founded in 1922 and grew into a center of Handel studies and performance in Europe. Especially Handel's operas have been staged regularly, some of them as first revivals.
, the opera Orlando furioso
arranged by Hans Joachim Moser
, and smaller works by Handel and other Halle composers of the 16th, 17th and 18th century. A Händel-Gesellschaft (Handel Society) was founded in 1925 and staged a second festival in 1929, directed by Hermann Abert
. The 250th anniversary of the composer in 1935 was the occasion for a third festival, termed "Reichs-Händelgedenktage" by the Nazis. After World War II Erich Neuß, Max Schneider, Herbert Koch and others founded a Hallische Händel-Gesellschaft (Halle Handel Society), which organized a fourth festival in 1948 in collaboration with the Landestheater, the Evangelische Kirchenmusikschule (Academy of Protest Church Music) and the Musikhochschule. It took place in the Händelhaus, completed shortly before.
Since 1952 the festival has been organized annually by the city of Halle, in collaboration with scientists of the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg and the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
. The Handel Music Prize
has been awarded as part of the festival first in 1956, since 1993 annually.
The Opernhaus Halle has contributed at least one of Handel's operas each time, in addition a regular guest performance has been staged at the Goethe-Theater in Bad Lauchstädt
, the only extant theater from the poet's time. The festival's orchestra is since 1993 the Händel-Festspielorchester, playing period instruments, conducted by Howard Arman
until 2007, when Bernhard Forck took over. An additional feature of the festival is the performance of works of composers from Sachsen-Anhalt who were close to Handel.
Since 1922, 34 of Handel's 42 operas have been staged in more than 100 productions. The first modern professional performance of Rinaldo
in 1954 was conducted by Horst-Tanu Margraf
; Radamisto
followed in 1955, Poro
in 1956, Imeneo
in 1960, Scipione
in 1965. Faramondo
was revived in 1976. Handel's first opera Almira
was performed in the Goethe Theater in 1994. Tolomeo
was produced and recorded in 1998, probably the first performance of the work with period instruments, conducted by Howard Arman
. The 2006 production of Admeto
, directed by Axel Köhler
and conducted by Arman, was recorded. The pasticcio Giove in Argo
was performed in 2007 after its premiere that season at the Handel Festival, Göttingen. The 2009 festival staged the operas Floridante
and Serse
, the pastiche
Anaesthesia, also the oratorios Theodora
, Messiah
, Belshazzar
and Israel in Egypt.
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
, in the composer's birthplace in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. The festival was founded in 1922 and grew into a center of Handel studies and performance in Europe. Especially Handel's operas have been staged regularly, some of them as first revivals.
History
The first Handel Festival in Halle was conducted in 1922. It showed the oratorios Semele and SusannaSusanna (Handel)
Susanna is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. The libretto, questionably attributed to Newburgh Hamilton, is based on the apocryphal 'history of Susanna'...
, the opera Orlando furioso
Orlando Furioso
Orlando Furioso is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532...
arranged by Hans Joachim Moser
Hans Joachim Moser
Translated from German WikipediaHans Joachim Moser was a German musicologist, composer and singer....
, and smaller works by Handel and other Halle composers of the 16th, 17th and 18th century. A Händel-Gesellschaft (Handel Society) was founded in 1925 and staged a second festival in 1929, directed by Hermann Abert
Hermann Abert
Hermann Abert was a German historian of music.-Life:Abert was born in Stuttgart, the son of Johann Josef Abert , the Hofkapellmeister of that city....
. The 250th anniversary of the composer in 1935 was the occasion for a third festival, termed "Reichs-Händelgedenktage" by the Nazis. After World War II Erich Neuß, Max Schneider, Herbert Koch and others founded a Hallische Händel-Gesellschaft (Halle Handel Society), which organized a fourth festival in 1948 in collaboration with the Landestheater, the Evangelische Kirchenmusikschule (Academy of Protest Church Music) and the Musikhochschule. It took place in the Händelhaus, completed shortly before.
Since 1952 the festival has been organized annually by the city of Halle, in collaboration with scientists of the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg and the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
The Hallische Händel-Ausgabe is a multi-volume collection of the works of George Frideric Handel. It was first published in the 1950s: initially as an adjunct to the HG edition, but by 1958 as a collected edition in its own right...
. The Handel Music Prize
Handel Music Prize
The Handel Music Prize, in German Händel-Preis, is an annual award presented by the city of Halle, in Germany, in honour of the celebrated Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. It is awarded “for exceptional artistic, academic or politico-cultural services as far as these are connected with the...
has been awarded as part of the festival first in 1956, since 1993 annually.
The Opernhaus Halle has contributed at least one of Handel's operas each time, in addition a regular guest performance has been staged at the Goethe-Theater in Bad Lauchstädt
Bad Lauchstädt
' is a town in the district Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, 13 km southwest of Halle. Pop. 4,933. It contains an Evangelical church, a theatre, a hydropathic establishment and several educational institutions, among which is an agricultural school affiliated to the university of Halle....
, the only extant theater from the poet's time. The festival's orchestra is since 1993 the Händel-Festspielorchester, playing period instruments, conducted by Howard Arman
Howard Arman
Howard Arman is an English choral conductor and opera director. He won the Handel Music Prize of the Handel Festival, Halle, in 1996, shaped the festival's orchestra and conducted operas of George Frideric Handel...
until 2007, when Bernhard Forck took over. An additional feature of the festival is the performance of works of composers from Sachsen-Anhalt who were close to Handel.
Since 1922, 34 of Handel's 42 operas have been staged in more than 100 productions. The first modern professional performance of Rinaldo
Rinaldo (opera)
Rinaldo is an opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1711. It is the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage. The libretto was prepared by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill. The work was first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London's...
in 1954 was conducted by Horst-Tanu Margraf
Horst-Tanu Margraf
Horst-Tanu Margraf was a German conductor, Generalmusikdirektor of Halle from 1950 to 1969.Margraf was Music director in Lemberg during World War II. In Halle he was one of the founders of the Handel Festival...
; Radamisto
Radamisto (Handel)
Radamisto is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym, based on L'amor tirannico, o Zenobia by Domenico Lalli and Zenobia by Matteo Noris...
followed in 1955, Poro
Poro (opera)
Poro, re dell'Indie is an opera seria in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel...
in 1956, Imeneo
Imeneo
Imeneo is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Silvio Stampiglia's Imeneo. Handel had begun composition in September 1738, but did not complete the score until 1740...
in 1960, Scipione
Scipione
Scipione is an opera in three acts, with music composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1726. The librettist was Paolo Antonio Rolli. Handel composed Scipione whilst in the middle of writing Alessandro...
in 1965. Faramondo
Faramondo
Faramondo is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text adapted from Apostolo Zeno's Faramondo.-Performance history:...
was revived in 1976. Handel's first opera Almira
Almira
Almira, Königin von Castilien or Der in Krohnen erlangte Glückswechsel, is George Frideric Handel's first opera.-Background:Handel came to the city of Hamburg in the summer of 1703 and played as a violinist in the theatre at the Gänsemarkt, the local market place...
was performed in the Goethe Theater in 1994. Tolomeo
Tolomeo
Tolomeo, re d'Egitto is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's Tolomeo et Alessandro.-Performance history:...
was produced and recorded in 1998, probably the first performance of the work with period instruments, conducted by Howard Arman
Howard Arman
Howard Arman is an English choral conductor and opera director. He won the Handel Music Prize of the Handel Festival, Halle, in 1996, shaped the festival's orchestra and conducted operas of George Frideric Handel...
. The 2006 production of Admeto
Admeto
Admeto, re di Tessaglia is a three-act opera written for the Royal Academy of Music with music composed by George Frideric Handel to an Italian-language libretto prepared by Nicola Haym. The story is partly based on Euripedes' Alcestis. The opera's first performance was at the Haymarket Theatre...
, directed by Axel Köhler
Axel Köhler
Axel Köhler is a German countertenor and opera director. He won the Handel Music Prize in 1994.-Sources:*http://www.axelkoehler.com/*http://www.buehnen-halle.de/...
and conducted by Arman, was recorded. The pasticcio Giove in Argo
Giove in Argo
Giove in Argo is an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. The libretto was written by Antonio Maria Lucchini. It was first performed in King's Theatre, Haymarket, London on 1 May 1739.- History :...
was performed in 2007 after its premiere that season at the Handel Festival, Göttingen. The 2009 festival staged the operas Floridante
Floridante
Floridante is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli after Francesco Silvani's libretto for Marc'Antonio Ziani dramma per musica La costanza in trionfo of 1696....
and Serse
Serse
Serse is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. It was first performed in London on 15 April 1738. The Italian libretto was adapted by an unknown hand from that by Silvio Stampiglia for an earlier opera of the same name by Giovanni Bononcini in 1694...
, the pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
Anaesthesia, also the oratorios Theodora
Theodora (Handel)
Theodora is an oratorio in three acts by George Frideric Handel, set to an English libretto by Thomas Morell. The oratorio concerns the Christian martyr Theodora and her Christian-converted Roman lover, Didymus....
, Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
, Belshazzar
Belshazzar (Handel)
Belshazzar is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. The libretto was by Charles Jennens, and Handel abridged it considerably. Jennens' libretto was based on the Biblical account of the fall of Babylon at the hands of Cyrus the Great and the subsequent freeing of the Jewish nation, as found in the...
and Israel in Egypt.
Literature
- Karin Zauft: Händel und die Händel-Festspiele in Halle, German/English, Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle 2001