Random “Messiah” trivia:
* George Frideric Handel’s career really took off when his boss, the prince of Hanover, became King George I in 1714.
* Handel wrote the three parts of the “Messiah” in less than nine days each.
* The first time
the Greater Bethesda Church Choir performed “The Messiah” was in 1937, and the Apollo Chorus of Chicago has performed it 198 times.
* This weekend, you can see both groups perform the piece again. The Greater Bethesda choir revisits the “Messiah” as part of the Ravinia Festival Lawndale Partnership N with soloists Alfreda Burke, Gloria Spencer Brown and others N at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 3600 W. Cermak Rd. Free. 773-521-5595.
The Apollo Chorus performs its 199th and 200th versions — with soloists who include Patrice Michaels and Jeffrey Strauss N at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets are $15-$45. 630-960-2251.
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