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Background

• An oratorio composed in 1741, with text from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens.
• First performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742.
• After Handel's death, Messiah was adapted for performance on a much larger scale, with giant orchestras and choirs numbering up to 800.

Recordings

• Messiah (Dublin Version)
  Susan Hamilton (soprano), Annie Gill (contralto), Clare Wilkinson (contralto), Nicholas Mulroy (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass)
  Dunedin Consort & Players
  John Butt · Linn
  Gramophone Awards (2007): Winner Baroque Vocal
  Radio 3 (2022): Building a Library Recommended

• Messiah
  Carolyn Sampson, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Mark Padmore, Christopher Purves
  The Sixteen
  Harry Christophers · CORO
  Presto Recording of the Week (2008).
  Radio 3 (2009): Building a Library First Choice

• Messiah (New Concert Edition by Sir Andrew Davis)
  Erin Wall (soprano), Elizabeth DeShong (mezzo-soprano), Andrew Staples (tenor), John Relyea (bass). Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
  Toronto Symphony Orchestra
  Sir Andrew Davis · Chandos
  Presto Recording of the Week (2016).
  Presto Recordings of the Year (2016): Finalist.
  BBC Music Magazine (2017): Choral & Song Choice
  Grammy Awards (2017): Nominee Choral Performance

• Messiah. (Remastered 2014).
  Margaret Marshall (soprano), Saul Quirke (treble), Catherine Robbin (mezzo), Charles Brett (counter-tenor), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor), Robert Hale (bass). English Baroque Soloists & Monteverdi Choir.
  Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
  Philips.
  
  
• Messiah
  Judith Nelson, Emma Kirkby, Carolyn Watkinson, Paul Elliot, David Thomas
  The Academy of Ancient Music
  Christopher Hogwood · DECCA
  Presto Greatest Recordings of the 1970s
  Radio 3 (2022): Building a Library Recommended

• Messiah
  Lucy Crowe (soprano), Alex Potter (countertenor), Michael Spyres (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass)
  The English Concert & Choir
  John Nelson · ERATO
  Presto Recording of the Week (2023)
  Opus Klassik Awards (2024): Nominated Choral Recording of the Year

About Coram Deo

Coram Deo — before the face of God. This blog reflects on Scripture, world events, science, music, psychology, and the human mind — always through the lens of Christian faith. All of life is lived before the face of God.