Back in the day — way, way, waaaaay back — composers in the Baroque era penned anthems to celebrate kingly coronations in Europe, but no one was more successful than George Frideric Handel.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Helios Ensemble on Sunday, July 21, will perform excerpts of Handel’s anthems, originally penned to fete King George II in 1727. The concert starts at 4 p.m. at Catalina United Methodist Church, 2700 E. Speedway.
Handel wrote four anthems — “Zadok the Priest,†“Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened,†“The King Shall Rejoice†and “My Heart Is Inditing†— that became standards for later coronations. (Fun fact: Famed Broadway musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Cats,†“Phantom of the Operaâ€) composed King Charles 2023 coronation anthem, “Make A Joyful Noise.â€)
Sunday’s concert also will include Handel’s Dixit Dominus, a choral setting of Psalm 110 scored for five mixed-voice soloists, five-part chorus, strings and continuo; selections from Adolphus Hailstork’s evocative “Seven Songs of the Rubaiyat;†and Alison Wahl’s ethereal “Cedar to Storm.â€
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Helios has performed its annual summer concert every July since founder/music director Benjamin Hansen launched the group in 2014. The group ends its Baroque-themed anniversary year with a special concert Nov. 3, highlighted by selections from Charpentier’s “Magnificat.†That concert at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will include a post-concert reception.
Tickets for Sunday’s concert are $18 or two for $30 in advance through ; it’s $20 or two for $35 at the door. Preferred seats are $40.
Students of all grades through college are free with ID. Get more info at or by calling 202-262-3634.