George Frideric Händel, a master of Baroque, died in 1759. But he also had something in common with jazz: Händel loved big melodies and had a sense of relish in music. His trademark was less to do with complex, polyphonic pieces, which sets him apart from his contemporary Johann Sebastian Bach, whose most famous works are spiritual in nature. As an opera manager, Händel largely wrote more global music, and it always needed to be a fun, groovy time at his establishment.

The critical factor here was that the Halle native moved to London at age 25 and spend the majority of his career there. England’s capital was already a vibrant metropolis like New York is now, and the public there was difficult to impress. Operas were also supposed to be fun, fleeting entertainment, similar to musicals now. Händel was a freelance musician, and his opera company went bankrupt at least once.

Because there was no social coverage for many of the musicians around him, he organised fundraising concerts, including for orchestra members who were no longer able to play due to old age. This, too, is reminiscent of jazz.

I see musical similarities between the two as well: Many of Händel’s arias are listener-friendly and audience-facing, with some of them being suitable for Afro-Cuban grooves or Brazilian bossa nova. Thinking from a jazz perspective, an aria is just a song and it should have drive and swing.

I take Händel’s arias and add some inharmonious melodies so that you can feel this spirit again. I came up with my concept of “Händel Jazz” 15 years ago for an album on the Neuklang label, and completely revised everything for evening performances at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. For example, now there’s a string quartet thrown in. We will play with musicians of the Deutsche Oper Berlin as well as percussionist Rolo Rodriguez of Uruguay, bassist Guilherme Castro of Brazil, saxophonist Stephan Abel, and cello virtuoso Stephan Braun. The phenomenal soprano Meechot Marrero will provide the vocals.

In these revisions, we will alternate between jazz and classical, all with some captivating improv. This will allow listeners to experience great arias like “Lascia ch’io pianga” from RINALDO, or “Tra Sospetti” from RODELINDA, an in entirely new way.

There was a lot of improv in the Baroque era, just as there is in jazz. Only as of the early 19^th century, with the Viennese school, was everything more set in stone because the composers wanted to hear it exactly the way they had imagined it. It’s fitting that Händel’s rhythms were complex, his works richly experimental. Although there is a gap of over 200 years between him and the first jazz greats, they’re not entirely dissimilar.

To illustrate this, there will also be readings on the nights of the performances containing light, sometimes humorous anecdotes on the parallels between Händel’s life and that in the jazz scene. Visitors will be able to explore this topic with a full perspective.

Transcript: Thomas Lindemann