Celebrations for Handel Kick Off with Fests and Musical Performances
Geared Up for the Handel Hullabaloo in Halle, June 2025!
Get ready to groove to the Baroque beat as the Handel Festival kicks off in Halle (Saale) from June 6 to June 15, 2025! This 11-day extravaganza, themed "Fresh Wind: Young Handel in Italy," promises a smorgasbord of over 60 events at 17 locations. From grand operas to oratorios, concerts, and cross-genre performances, there's something for every music lover.
But mark your calendars for Friday, June 6, 2025, as that's the day the real party starts! No market will be held on the market square due to the Handel Festival opening.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Mayor's Handel Hand-Off
The Halle Handel Festival Orchestra, under maestro Attilio Cremonesi's baton, will perform Handel's "Il convitto d'Alessandro" oratorio at the Halle Cathedral on Thursday, 7:30 PM. The evening will be concluded with the annual Handel Prize presentation by Mayor Dr. Alexander Vogt to the orchestra for their outstanding contributions to Handel's legacy. Axel Koehler will deliver the laudation. The Handel Festival Orchestra musicians hail from the Staatskapelle Halle.
Friday, June 6, 2025
Festival Fit & Formal
The traditional inaugural ceremony at the Handel Monument sets the festival in motion at 4 PM on the market square. The ceremony will feature speeches by Mayor Dr. Alexander Vogt, musical performances by the Stadtsingechor zu Halle, Pfeiferstuhl Music Halle, and the Academic Orchestra of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The Halloren and the Salzwirker Brotherhood in Thale to Halle will also join in. Commissioners for culture and sport, as well as education and social affairs, Dr. Judith Marquardt and Katharina Brederlow, will be in attendance.
Carillon Call to festival!
Following the ceremony, Wim Ruitenbeek from the Netherlands will give a carillon concert to officially launch the Handel Festival at 5 PM on the Glockenspiel in the Red Tower. Titled "Italian Sound Worlds - from Handel to Bocelli," the concert will be broadcast on an LED wall and offer seating on the market square. With performances throughout Europe and invites to carillon festivals in Florida and Springfield, Wim Ruitenbeek is no stranger to the stage.
Organ Ordeal
The Long Organ Night Halle starts at 6 PM, featuring free organ concerts across various locations during the festival. Commissioner for culture and sport, Dr. Judith Marquardt, will be present.
The Grand Premiere of "Agrippina"
The Handel Festival traditionally kicks off with a premiere at the Halle Opera at 7 PM. This year, the offering is Handel's opera "Agrippina," featuring an international cast. The English conductor Laurence Cummings, along with Serbian stage designer Aleksandar Denic, have collaborated with opera intendant Walter Sutcliffe to bring us this production of Handel's youthful masterpiece. Commissioners for culture and sport, as well as education and social affairs, Dr. Judith Marquardt, and Katharina Brederlow, will also attend the performance.
Stay tuned for more updates and check the official Handel Festival website or contact the organizers for tickets and more detailed programming. Don't miss out on the festivities!
Enjoy a delightful evening as the music of Handel takes center stage at the Handel Festival's opening night on Friday, June 6, 2025. Attend the premiere of "Agrippina" at the Halle Opera, featuring an international cast under the baton of English conductor Laurence Cummings, starting at 7 PM.
