Opening Concert – Israel in Egypt – Escape to Exile I ID:
Choral Concert
Friday, 18. July 2025
7:30 p.m., Church Saanen
An American by birth, he showed all of France how Baroque music should truly sound – an irony as fascinating as it is unexpected! At 80, William Christie radiates a deep sense of contentment and calm, relishing life in the stunning gardens of Thiré, nestled in the Vendée region a few kilometers southeast of Sainte-Hermine. With undiminished energy, he continues to travel and pursue bold creative visions for the future. For the opening concert, he shines a spotlight on one of history’s most iconic storys of exile: the Israelites’ flight from Egypt, a story Handel brought to life in 1739 with texts from the King James Bible. Central to the oratorio is the choir, embodying the voice of the Hebrew people, through which Handel infuses his work with extraordinary dramatic intensity – powerful and moving as never before.
{'artists': [{'awards': [],
'instruments': ['Soprano'],
'name': 'Emmanuelle de Negri',
'sort': 0},
{'awards': [],
'instruments': ['Contralto'],
'name': 'Jasmin White',
'sort': 1},
{'awards': [],
'instruments': ['Tenor '],
'name': 'Moritz Kallenberg',
'sort': 2},
{'awards': [],
'instruments': ['Baritone'],
'name': 'Matthieu Walendzik',
'sort': 3},
{'awards': [],
'instruments': ['Ensemble'],
'name': 'Les Arts Florissants',
'sort': 4},
{'awards': [],
'instruments': ['Conductor'],
'name': 'William Christie',
'sort': 5}],
'bus_transfer': {'available': False, 'description': None, 'url': None},
'description': '<p>An American by birth, he showed all of France how Baroque '
'music should truly sound – an irony as fascinating as '
'it is unexpected! At 80, William Christie radiates a deep '
'sense of contentment and calm, relishing life in the stunning '
'gardens of Thiré, nestled in the Vendée region '
'a few kilometers southeast of Sainte-Hermine. With '
'undiminished energy, he continues to travel and pursue bold '
'creative visions for the future. For the opening concert, he '
'shines a spotlight on one of history’s most iconic '
'storys of exile: the Israelites’ flight from Egypt, a '
'story Handel brought to life in 1739 with texts from the King '
'James Bible. Central to the oratorio is the choir, embodying '
'the voice of the Hebrew people, through which Handel infuses '
'his work with extraordinary dramatic intensity – '
'powerful and moving as never before.</p>',
'event_id': 8160,
'has_any_future_events': False,
'has_any_ticket_links': True,
'hero_images': [{'alt': 'William Christie © Vincent Pontet',
'position': 1,
'title': 'Vincent Pontet',
'url': '/_cmsbox_backends_/gmf/images/687b4c89435716dfcb4b97c35f4704f2.jpeg'}],
'hints': 'CHF 170/145/95/40',
'infos': None,
'main_location': 'Church Saanen',
'main_start_date': datetime.datetime(2025, 7, 18, 19, 30, tzinfo=datetime.timezone(datetime.timedelta(seconds=7200))),
'over_title': 'William Christie',
'overview_image': {'alt': 'William Christie © Vincent Pontet',
'position': 0,
'title': 'Vincent Pontet',
'url': '/_cmsbox_backends_/gmf/images/500x375/77b755fe2a79d9344f0046a288fe858e.jpeg'},
'overview_image_src_set': {'alt': 'William Christie © Vincent Pontet',
'position': 0,
'title': 'Vincent Pontet',
'url': '/_cmsbox_backends_/gmf/images/1000x750/77b755fe2a79d9344f0046a288fe858e.jpeg'},
'programs': ['<table class="program442hz">\r\n'
'\t<tbody>\r\n'
'\t\t<tr class="rowComposer">\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td colspan="2"><strong>Georg Friedrich '
'Händel</strong> (1685–1759)</td>\r\n'
'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
'\t\t<tr class="rowWork">\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td>Overture from the Concerto grosso in D Minor, Op. 6 '
'Nr. 10, HWV 328</td>\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td style="text-align:right;"> </td>\r\n'
'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
'\t\t<tr class="rowComposer">\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td colspan="2"><strong>Georg Friedrich '
'Händel</strong> (1685–1759)</td>\r\n'
'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
'\t\t<tr class="rowWork">\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td>“Israel in Egypt”, oratorio for soli, '
'choir and orchestra, HWV 45</td>\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td style="text-align:right;"> </td>\r\n'
'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
'\t\t<tr class="rowTotal">\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td> </td>\r\n'
'\t\t\t<td style="text-align:right;"><strong>120' '
'</strong>(interval included)</td>\r\n'
'\t\t</tr>\r\n'
'\t</tbody>\r\n'
'</table>'],
'room': '',
'sponsor_info': None,
'start_time_location': [{'location': 'Church Saanen',
'start_time': datetime.datetime(2025, 7, 18, 19, 30, tzinfo=datetime.timezone(datetime.timedelta(seconds=7200)))}],
'ticket_links': [{'is_future_event': False,
'sale_started': True,
'start_time': datetime.datetime(2025, 7, 18, 19, 30, tzinfo=datetime.timezone(datetime.timedelta(seconds=7200))),
'url': 'https://shop.menuhin.ch/en/event/156620'}],
'title': 'Opening Concert – Israel in Egypt – Escape to Exile I',
'title2': 'Choral Concert',
'topics': []}
Emmanuelle de Negri, Soprano
Jasmin White, Contralto
Moritz Kallenberg, Tenor
Matthieu Walendzik, Baritone
Les Arts Florissants, Ensemble
William Christie, Conductor
| Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759) | |
| Overture from the Concerto grosso in D Minor, Op. 6 Nr. 10, HWV 328 | |
| Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759) | |
| “Israel in Egypt”, oratorio for soli, choir and orchestra, HWV 45 | |
| 120' (interval included) | |