Händel, Mozart, Lully, Tchaikovsky, Rameau: La Madeleine

Artists

Eglise de la Madeleine

The Eglise de la Madeleine is a 19th-century Roman Catholic church that commands all eyes in its lovely location between the Place de la Concorde and the Palais Garnier in Paris. The construction process stretched over 80 years, as the building's plans - and those funding it - underwent many changes. Initially intended as Napoleon's tribute to his victorious army, the Neo-Classical style, echoing that of an Ancient Roman temple, retains the immense standing columns of earlier churches on the site. Inside the Eglise de la Madeleine, one can admire beautiful Neo-Byzantine mosaics, paintings and sculptures. The Neo-Classical architecture and impressive internal decorations create a perfect atmosphere for the classical concerts that take place in the church throughout the year. A magnificent pipe organ, considered to be one of the most impressive instruments in Paris in terms of its tonal beauty, plays its own part in the La Madeleine's musical life.

Georg Friedrich Händel

An English subject with German origins, Georg Handel was truly a musical pioneer, combining musical traditions of English, Italian and German composers. He was born in 1685 in Halle, Germany, into a very religious and conservative family. His father was dreaming for his son to become a lawyer and would not let young Georg play musical instruments at home. But the Duke Johann Adolf accidentally heard him playing in the chapel and convinced Georg's father to let his son receive a musical education. Thus, Handel became a pupil of the famous organ player and composer Friedrich Zachow. The first success came to Handel in 1705 when he moved to Hamburg and staged his two premiere operas, Almira and Nero, in the Oper am Gänsemarkt. Almira immediately became a highlight of the theatre and was performed around 20 times. Later next year Handel moved to Italy were he received high acclaim and was put on the same level as renowned Italian composers of the time. In 1710 Handel travelled to London where later he decided to settle down. There he wrote a sacred choral piece "Te Deum" that was played in St. Paul´s Cathedral at the ceremony devoted to signing the Utrecht Treaty. From that moment onwards he became the leading composer of England, as the country did not have any native prominent composers. His oeuvre was mainly focused on operas, but by 1730 the genre of Italian opera ceased to be popular and Handel´s success dwindled. During the last years of his life until his death in 1759 he was mainly composing oratorias, including his famous and magnificent Messiah.