Handel: Messiah

Featuring

Sir Colin Davis
Mark Padmore
Alastair Miles
Sara Mingardo
Susan Gritton
London Symphony Orchestra

Tenebrae
George Frideric Handel

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Compositional Technique

Handel's long experience in opera is evident in Messiah, with elements like the 'fizzing violins' and 'wide leaps' in 'Why do the nations so furiously rage together?' resembling stage anger.

Interpretation

There is no definitive version of Messiah, as Handel himself reallocated numbers and adjusted lengths over nearly twenty years of directing performances.

Composer Biography

George Frideric Handel, the composer of Messiah, was born in Germany and spent his early career in Italy before moving to London in 1710.

Composition History

Messiah is unusual among Handel's oratorios because its libretto is a patchwork of biblical texts, and soloists and chorus adopt various roles rather than named characters.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Charles Jennens, an amateur man of letters, conceived the oratorio's text by juxtaposing Old and New Testament passages to affirm Christ's coming and status as Redeemer.

Composition History

Handel's Messiah premiered in Dublin on April 13, 1742, causing such excitement that ladies were asked to leave their skirt-hoops and gentlemen their swords to make more room.

Recording & Production

This recording of Handel's Messiah was captured live at the Barbican, London, on December 10 and 12, 2006, using high-density DSD (Direct Stream Digital) technology.