TORIDORI

Attendind a performance of Messiah is always a thrilling experience, but it is especially so when Handel’s work – which has become a national classic in England – is performed by a dedicated ensemble like the legendary German flagship of the international early-music scene: the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, now with over 44 years of history behind it. The storied chamber orchestra will perform with one of the world’s finest mixed choirs, the RIAS Kammerchor, which also hails from Berlin and was founded in the years immediately following the Second World War.

Recirquel’s new production, Paradisum explores the myth of rebirth following the silence of a destroyed world, where the means of communication is the body, and the only common language is movement. The creatures of this idyllic existence unfold from the ever-changing, swirling natural forces of the ‘fabric of life’ that pulsates around them, so they can reach the anima mundi, the world soul, through scenes of purification, birth, awakening and ritual.

Emmet Cohen has clearly got what it takes. It goes without saying that he is a brilliant pianist who knows to strike a chord with his fellow musicians – legendary figures such as Ron Carter and Benny Golson, leading artists of today like Joshua Redman and Christian McBride, and even the bright hopes of tomorrow, such as Samara Joy and Mejdi Owens – and how to connect with his audience, whether in a jazz club, a concert hall, or online.