Return to Christmas together

The Canti Corum Cultural Association of Milan is organising a charity concert in the prestigious baroque church in Piazza Sant’Alessandro to return to singing again at Christmas.

Thursday, 16th December 2021

at 8.30 p.m.

THE PROGRAMME

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, one of the greatest composers of the French Baroque period, wrote the unique and interesting Messe de Minuit pour Noel, one among many of his numerous sacred compositions. The originality of the Messe de Minuit lies in the use of popular Christmas songs within it, certainly not an unusual practice for instrumental compositions, but original for choral works. In particular, for some pieces he uses melodies based on dance themes, thus giving the Mass a pastoral feel that is easy to listen to.

Unlike Charpentier's Messe de Minuit, a much better known masterpiece is the Messiah Oratorio by Georg Friedrich Händel. Here, in a selection of the most famous of choral pieces, Händel’s compositional freshness combines techniques and forms of the Baroque period - the art of counterpoint and fugue - permeated with that gentle lightness, typical of Händel’s style.

With this programme, Canti Corum wants to pay homage to two greats of the European music scene at Christmas.

CHARITY CONCERT

Entrance to this musical event is by freewill donation with the proceeds being donated to the popular school, "I care", run by the Congregation of the Barnabite Fathers.

This project, promoted in 2001 by Father Eugenio Brambilla of the Barnabiti del Gratosoglio, currently operates also in Barona and Lodi. It involves helping girls and boys from the lower middle school who are at high risk of having to leave school early or in a state of neglect, to successfully go through the secondary school leaving examination and enter traditional educational or work paths.

The current Sicomoro Foundation for Education (www.fondazionesicomoro.it) was set up as a result of this experience.