Twenty-four days. This is how long it took
Handel
to write the 259-page manuscript of the
Messiah
in August 1741. Of course, this is the least remarkable fact because Handel generally worked at this speed anyway. It is far more exciting to see how the work, presented at a charity concert in Dublin, became a cult work even in Handel’s lifetime, and went as far as mega performances, bringing together several thousand singers and musicians in the 19th century. This time the performance at the
Liszt Academy
revives the original circumstances in a historically informed production featuring legendary representative of English early music movement Robert King and his ensemble.
King’s Consort
founded by King as a student at Cambridge in 1980 are a hugely significant early music formation in the UK; they have released ninety albums, sold more than one million copies, toured extensively and made dozens of discoveries in musicology. Under the leadership of Robert King, the ensemble has played all Handel’s major works, so their performance of the Messiah is a benchmark in the field: a must for early music fans.
