"Of course, everyone knows the Hallelujah Chorus. At last night's performance of The Messiah by The Sixteen, the audience dutifully, if hesitantly, stood at the appropriate point. Legend has it that the tradition began at the first London performance of the Messiah in 1743, when King George II was so moved that he stood. Etiquette demanded that everyone follow - and from that time on, we've continued to do the same."
"Regardless of whether there's any truth in the story, it seems appropriate at a sublime moment in the oratorio that celebrates the triumph of God's kingdom over earthly powers. And, Handel himself reportedly said, 'I did think I saw heaven open, and the great God Himself' while he was writing the chorus. Watching Harry Christophers conducting The Sixteen as this brilliant ensemble raised the roof of St Martin in the Fields, I doubt I am alone in thinking he felt much the same."
"The Messiah is a theological meditation rather than a narrative Passion. The three parts cover Prophecies and Nativity in Part I, Passion, Resurrection, and the Gospel in Part II, and the final triumph over death in Part III. The libretto, compiled by Handel's friend Charles Jennens, entirely from Biblical scriptures, is a mosaic of sacred insights."
The Sixteen gave an intimate, deeply expressive performance of Handel's Messiah that prompted the audience to stand for the Hallelujah Chorus, invoking an 18th-century tradition associated with King George II. Handel reportedly felt a vision while composing the chorus, and the performance under Harry Christophers evoked a similar sense of awe in St Martin in the Fields. The Messiah functions as a theological meditation in three parts: Prophecies and Nativity; Passion, Resurrection and the Gospel; and the final triumph over death. The libretto, assembled by Charles Jennens entirely from Biblical scriptures, presents a mosaic of sacred texts. The work premiered in Dublin in 1742 and was intended for Lent, with the first London performance in March 1743 at the theatre now known as the Royal Opera House, a context shaped by period restrictions on staged drama; a contemporary comparison was made with Handel's opera Ariodante performed at the Royal Opera House.
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