Perth Concert Hall and Dunedin Consort to Present Handel's MESSIAH

Perth Concert Hall has teamed up with leading Baroque ensemble Dunedin Consort to present a Scottish exclusive performance of Handel's Messiah broadcast "as live" from the hall.

The concert will be filmed in one take in Perth Concert Hall, to simulate as much as possible the feeling of being there in person, and streamed via video platform Vimeo on Wednesday 23 December. It will be the only performance of Handel's seasonal classic that Dunedin Consort will present this Christmas and will come as welcome news to fans of this annual festive tradition in the Fair City.

James Waters, creative director for classical music for Perth Concert Hall said:

"The Dunedin Consort's performances at Perth Concert Hall are musical highlights of our programme. We are delighted to have been able to work with them to save our performance of Messiah and stream it as live. John Butt's take on Messiah is always life-affirming. This year brings a particularly special set of solo singers. Just the thought of hearing Handel's great choruses from the hall offers an infusion of optimism as we look forward to 2021."

Jo Buckley, chief executive of Dunedin Consort, whose online autumn broadcasts have attracted more than 20,000 viewers to date, said:

"Our annual Messiah is one of the greatest highlights of our season. We never tire of performing it, and our audiences tell us it is their favourite part of the year too. It is hard to imagine a Christmas without it, so we are thrilled to be partnering with Perth Concert Hall to bring Messiah - and our celebrated Children's Messiah - into listeners' homes this December. Streaming something of this magnitude is no mean feat and is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our musicians, production team and of course our wonderful friends at Perth Concert Hall. We are particularly grateful to the Dunard Fund and Baillie Gifford, whose support has made this extraordinary undertaking possible."

John Butt conducts this co-production between Dunedin Consort, Perth Concert Hall and The Lammermuir Festival which features soloists soprano Mhairi Lawson, contralto Jess Dandy, tenor Anthony Gregory and bass Robert Davies, the choir and a virtuoso orchestra. The concert is supported by Dunard Fund. A special streaming of the ensemble's Children's Messiah is being made exclusively available to schools, in association with Baillie Gifford.

For tickets and information for Handel's Messiah streamed in sound and vision from Perth Concert Hall on Wednesday 23 December at 7pm visit www.horsecross.co.uk

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