Important notice
Following Sir John Eliot Gardiner's resignation as conductor and artistic director of the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, Christoph Rousset will take over the direction of the concert. (31.08.2024)
Performers
Programme
His most famous ‘melody’ could possibly lose popularity - gone seem to be the days when the family gathered in front of the television for Saturday night Eurovision broadcasts. Marc-André Charpentier, however, was not only the creator of the solemn Te Deum theme that became popular as the Eurovision anthem, he also left behind a remarkable and extensive oeuvre, including a number of works for Christmas. The most famous of this series is the Midnight Mass, composed around 1694 for the Christmas Eve service. The Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists under Sir John Eliot Gardiner place this mass, with its charming combination of sacred grandeur and popular Christmas carols, at the centre of their Christmas programme in the Alte Oper. In keeping with tradition, choristers will take on the eight vocal solo parts, which Charpentier skilfully separated from the choral part with flowing transitions. Cantatas by Bach, composed for the first Sundays of Advent in Leipzig, complete the pre-Christmas programme with a top-class cast.
