Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin - RIAS Kammerchor - Daniel Reuss

The Messiah is by far the most popular and best-loved work by George Frideric Händel (1685-1759). The final chorus of the second movement, the 'Hallelujah', is one of the most famous pieces of classical music. It was also a favourite of Händel himself, who made the following comment about it: 'I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the Great God himself'. In 1741, at a low point in his career, Händel's friend Charles Jennens requested he write an oratorio based on a collection of Bible texts Jennens had revised. Händel completed the work after twenty-four days (!) of continuous labour. The first performance took place in Dublin on 13th April 1742, during a charity concert to raise funds for an Irish orphanage. Although Händel scored a success with his Messiah immediately following its first performance and went on tour through Great Britain and Ireland, it was not until 1820 that the piece was rediscovered. Like all oratorios, the Messiah comprises three parts: the first portrays the birth of Christ, the second his suffering and death, and the third his resurrection. Each part consists of a series of arias and choruses, based on a passage from the Bible.