Handel’s Messiah – Soulful Celebration

 

A Tale in Two Cities

This year Renewal Choir and friends will be performing not one but two renditions of the marvelously moving production of Handel’s Messiah, A Soulful Celebration at St Georges, Bristol (2nd December 2016) and again the following evening (3rd December 2016 )at the All Nations Centre, Cardiff . In collaboration with a number of artists Renewal Choir is poised to deliver an exciting musical feast with movement, music and magnetism.  Watch this space for updates.

 

About the Production

Handel’s Messiah, A Soulful Celebration is an African-American arrangement of the oratorios that make up Handel’s Messiah.  The arrangement consists of a blend of elements of jazz, soul, reggae and hip hop with the traditional classical genre. The project first appeared in the year 1993 on CD and won a Grammy award in the category ”Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album“.

The Soulful Celebration shows that a good melody can survive for centuries.  This modern adaptation of The Messiah, produced by Quincy Jones, Mervyn Warren and Michael O. Jackson, builds on the melodies of Handel to form an excellent arrangement. The lyrics of Charles Jennens, arranged from various Bible verses, are solemn and weighty.  They are what differentiate Gospel music from popular music. Our Soulful Celebration paints a picture of a range of styles covered within black music and how they developed.