The first performance of George Frideric Handelâs oratorio âMessiahâ...(+)
The first performance of George Frideric Handelâs oratorio âMessiahâ on 13 April 1742 in Dublin aroused unqualified rapture. A newspaper report a few days later declared that it combined âthe Sublime, the Grand, and the Tenderâ. Its success has remained undiminished ever since, and the âMessiahâ has taken its place in musical life.
In 2009, to mark the 250th anniversary of Handelâs death, the British Library and Bärenreiter joined forces and made the autograph score of the âMessiahâ available to the public in a meticulously reproduced, lavishly published facsimile.
The renowned Handel scholar Donald Burrows introduces the characteristics of Handelâs manuscript, describes the history of the workâs composition, and explains the differences between later versions of the âMessiahâ, as reflected in the conducting scores. A two-page sketch from the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge completes the publication. / [Le Messie HWV 56] / Classique / Fac-similé /