Handel: Messiah, For unto us a child is born (Sir Colin Davis, Tenebrae, LSO)

Sir Colin Davis conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, Susan Gritton, Sara Mingardo, Mark Padmore, Alastair Miles and the Tenebrae choir performing Handel's Messiah. http://bit.ly/OSVpV Recorded in December 2006.

Click for more video from the concert performance, information and how to buy on SACD (which includes a bonus DVD of concert footage) or download from iTunes, Amazon and eMusic http://bit.ly/OSVpV

• Category

  Music

[brian whittle]

can you change the formatting tags to correct the aspect, it's annoying, great music though

[London Symphony Orchestra]

Hi brian - tried that, doesn't work for some reason! It's irritating, because it was recorded and uploaded in the correct ratio and was fine for a while until YT changed something in the background and then it went all letterbox on us! Doesn't seem to be a way to stop it, sorry.

[Michael Robert McGarrett]

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." --- from the Holy Bible, Book of Isaiah 9:6

[Maximo De la Cruz]

R.I.P Sir Collin Davis....

[joavim]

I'll say it one more time... the lyrics and themes might be Christian and Biblical, but Händel did not write them!

Händel was big on the money. Whatever people were ready to pay for, that's what he did. During the first decades of his career, it was Italian opera. Then people's tastes started shifting towards English oratorio, so he just composed music for them. In fact, often he would just compose an opera and make it pass like an oratorio (Hercules, Semele).

[joavim]

All right then, but if the beauty of the Messiah lies in the lyrics, then it doesn't make any sense to praise Händel for it, since he DID NOT WRITE THE LYRICS.

[joavim]

He is absolutely right.

In my experience, those not acquainted with the proceedings of classical music tend to think the composer wrote both the music and the lyrics. But that was rarely the case. Händel didn't write the lyrics of his Messiah, or indeed of any of his compositions. He wrote the music, and yes, much of it, as is the case with this chorus, he recycled from earlier (and secular) works.

[joavim]

As if Händel had started writing oratorios because of a sudden religious fervour... he did it because it was what the people wanted to see. If operas hadn't fallen out of favour, he'd have continued writing them.

[Anco Toonen]

chickenskin

[Jamie Duncan]

it is an oratorio with all the text derived from the king james bible and from psalms in the common book of prayer. there are 54 pieces of music in messiah. 3 melodies were adapted from earlier works. 5% does not an italian love duet make. why the dishonesty and hatred towards those who love G-d?

[Jamie Duncan]

idiot. 259 pages of music written in 24 days and signed SDG - solio deo gloria - only for the glory of god. your lies and hatred of those who love G-d is palpable.

[Kameron Hillman]

this was great! i have it on my mp 3 player!!!!!

[jackpark7927]

I'm not bothered by the Letterbox; we enjoy it for the music. The LSO is one of the world's great "house bands" and the choir never disappoints.