It rocked London high society at Westminster Abbey 280 years ago, and now this incredible  musical event will be re-enacted in spectacular fashion at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, 27 May at 7.00 pm.

Gathered together on stage at the Concert Hall, more than 550 young singers and musicians will perform Handel’s epic Coronation Anthem, Zadok the Priest, in front of the composer himself played by actor Peter Whitford, in full 18th Century period dress and flowing wig.

Wen Zadok was first performed at the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline on 11 October 1727, nobody was prepared for its gigantic impact.

Nothing like it had even been seen or heard in the kingdom. The Queen’s rather ample form glittered from head to foot with jewels – not only her own, which were fabulously valuable, but with a large quantity borrowed or scrounged from all sources, public and private.

The huge orchestra and chorus were arranged like an amphitheatre, and the audience which packed the Abbey was stunned by the sheer tour de force of the triumphant anthem’s opening bars.

Zadok the Priest has been played at every coronation since, including that of the present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.  Next Sunday it will be the centrepiece of A Celebration of Handel - a multi-faceted program of Handel masterworks.

The Opera House audience will undergo the fascinating experience of hearing a dialogue between Whitford’s Handel and TV presenter Mary Kostakidis in which the composer’s fascinating life story will unfold between musical items.

Eminent soloists, who include Opera Australia’s Natalie Jones and Richard Alexander, will perform arias from Handel’s Italian operas and English oratorios.

Over the past three months, heads of music at three Sydney schools – Barker College at Hornsby, St Aloysius’ College at Milsons Point and Trinity Grammar at Summer Hill – have been working with more than 350 pupils on the Handel choruses they will be performing at the Opera House, along with the SBS Youth Orchestra under its Russian-born conductor Matthew Krel.

Sydney University Musical Society will enhance the evening with a 90-strong choir, bringing the total number of musical performers past the 550 mark.

A Celebration of Handel is the inaugural classical concert for Save the Children Australia, the world’s largest independent child-rights organisation.  All money raised on the evening will go towards programs in Australia and overseas.

A Celebration of Handel, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sunday 27 May at 7.00 pm.
For tickets call the Box Office (02) 9250 7777.

Click here to visit the concert website and book now

For further information contact:

Sharyn Hanly, Save the Children Australia,  (03) 9938 2011 or Mob: 0418 560 810
Abdi Noor, Save the Children Australia, (03) 9938 2010 or Mob: 0408 508 875