Handel's Messiah was composed in less than a month, in 1741, after a succession of operas. Wishing to renew the genre of the oratorio, Handel now features the heroes of history, literature and religious texts. In England, the Messiah is such a success that the liturgical piece becomes a national event. The Messiah combines Germanic passion and Italian opera. It is given with more and more magnificence and the spectators came also to sing some tunes: three encores are given to audience participation.
Musical direction : Douglas Boyd