Messiah

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George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is not only his best-known work; it is also a key work in the history of European music. Premiered in Dublin in 1742, the oratorio portrays the main episodes in Christ’s act of salvation in three parts: prophecy and birth, the Passion and resurrection of Christ and hope for the redemption of the world. It is characterised by the alternation between unadorned recitative, expressive arias and impressively arranged choruses whose splendour – especially the world-famous Hallelujah Chorus – have made the work a staple of concert repertoire for more than 250 years. Bringing the 2026 Handel Festival to a rousing conclusion, Messiah will be performed in the church where Handel was baptised by students of the first edition of the European academy programme Balthasar NOVA, together with the Balthasar Neumann Choir and Soloists conducted by Lionel Sow. A chance to hear Handel the European in all his splendour!