FULL Foundling Hospital Anthem (Handel) London 2023 Miah Persson, Elena Villalón, Ann Hallenberg, James Way
Popular Singers in this Opera Recording
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: Foundling Hospital Anthem
- Composer: Handel George Frideric aka Händel Georg Friedrich
- Libretto: adapted from the King James Bible
- Venue & Opera Company: Barbican Centre, London, UK
- Recorded: February 23, 2023
- Type: Concert Live
- Singers: Miah Persson, Elena Villalón, Ann Hallenberg, James Way
- Conductor: Harry Bicket
- Orchestra: The English Concert
- Chorus: Clarion
- Stage Director:
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: The English Concert
- Date Published: 2024
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
The Foundling Hospital Anthem (HWV 268), also known by its longer title “Blessed are they that considereth the poor” [sic], is a choral anthem composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749. It was written for the Foundling Hospital in London and was first performed in the chapel there. Handel wrote two versions, one for choir only and one for choir and soloists. Composed 10 years before his death, it was Handel’s last piece of English church music.
The Foundling Hospital was a charitable institution founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram to house and educate abandoned and orphaned children. It was established under royal charter by King George II and was supported by many noted figures of the day in high society and the arts. The portrait painter and cartoonist William Hogarth was a founding governor, and thanks to his influence, the Foundling Hospital grew to become a very fashionable charity, counting among its benefactors a number of renowned artists. Under Hogarth’s direction, artists such as William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, Allan Ramsay and Thomas Gainsborough exhibited paintings at the Hospital, creating what is thought to be Britain’s first public art gallery. The composer George Frederic Handel was invited to put on a benefit concert in the Hospital chapel to raise funds, and for the occasion he composed the Foundling Hospital Anthem.