Messiah

Georg Frideric Handel Messiah, HWV 56

John Butt director
Rachel Redmond soprano
Helen Charlston alto
Samuel Boden tenor
Matthew Brook baritone
Paul Whittaker OBE BSL Interpreter

It’s no surprise that Handel’s Messiah continues to draw audiences back year after year. There is nothing quite like it. Although the Hallelujah chorus has become the work’s calling card, Handel wrote every note to impress and astound his listeners. Its choruses are as grand as anything Handel ever composed, the solo writing profoundly moving, the drama powerful and compelling. Performed ‘the Dunedin way’ as Handel would have first heard it, with a small orchestra, a team of twelve singers and soloists who step out from the chorus, there are few more uplifting ways to celebrate the festive season.

‘Messiah is a hardy annual, but performed here – where every note and word really mattered – it sounded brand new.’ BachTrack