Opéra Royal - Haendel: THE MESSIAH

From Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 December 2025

Saturday

19:00 to 22:00

Sunday

15:00 to 18:00

Location : Chapelle Royale
Destination
Place d'Armes
78000
Versailles
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 48.804957
Longitude : 2.122303
BY CAR: GPS: Château de Versailles, Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles

-A13 motorway > Versailles Notre Dame exit
-A86 motorway > Versailles Centre exit

PLACE D'ARMES PARKING LOT
- During the day before 7 p.m.: paid parking. No access via the central driveway. Please note that the parking lot is full on Sundays. We recommend arriving 1 hour early and parking in town.
- In the evening from 7 p.m.*: free parking. Access only via the central driveway, at the statue of Louis XIV, and parking on the right, on the bus side.
*Opens at 6:15 p.m. for shows starting at 7 p.m.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT

- LINE N: Montparnasse Station > Versailles Chantiers Station
Direction: Dreux, Mantes-la-Jolie, Rambouillet.

- LINE L: Gare St-Lazare > Gare de Versailles Rive Droite Dir. Versailles Rive Droite.

- RER C: Paris > Gare de Versailles Château Rive Gauche Dir. Versailles Rive Gauche Château.

- BUS 171: Pont de Sèvres > Versailles Château stop.
Château de Versailles Spectacles
Phone : +33 1 30 83 78 89
Location
Chapelle Royale
Place d'Armes
78000
Versailles

Presentation

The Messiah is a work whose fame surpasses any other by Handel.
This oratorio, which premiered in Dublin in 1742, was a resounding success when it was first performed: demand for tickets was so high that gentlemen were asked to “refrain from wearing their swords” and ladies to come “without hoop skirts” in order to make room for more listeners and thus increase the proceeds “for charitable works.” During the great alto aria “He was despised,” Reverend Delany rose from his seat in the audience, overcome with emotion, and exclaimed to the singer: “Woman, for this, all your sins are forgiven!”


Performed again in London, Messiah quickly became Handel's flagship work. Performed 36 times during his lifetime, it quickly came to represent everything that music can be in terms of majesty and sublimity. Charles Jennens constructed the libretto dedicated to Christ in three parts: the Nativity, the Passion and Resurrection, and Redemption. The ideal alternation of solo arias and choruses is admirable, and Handel's lyrical skill is evident throughout the arias: whether gentle or triumphant, they are among the composer's most beautiful. The memorable choruses have remained in the public consciousness for over 250 years... In London, King George II was so struck by the “Hallelujah” that he rose to his feet in emotion, followed by the entire audience, and all British audiences since then.

The Royal Opera Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Théotime Langlois de Swarte, will provide the perfect accompaniment to a quartet of outstanding young singers.



Les Productions de l’Opéra Royal.

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+33 1 30 83 78 89