'Crossing The Deep' connects Handel's choral works with spirituals by enslaved Africans
24:36 |
About The Episode
When the Handel and Haydn Society found records detailing iconic composer George Frideric Handel’s ties to the slave trade, it responded in a way only the organization could: through music and performance. Rather than “canceling” the composer or disavowing the history, two of the society’s staff members created “Crossing The Deep,” a special concert series showing the parallels between the choral works of Handel and the spirituals of enslaved Africans in America. We speak with creators Dr. Anthony Trecek-King and Reginald Mobley about what’s in store for this year’s concerts.