Handel’s Messiah is one of the great Christian works of Easter. Jeff Lloyd Roberts follows the creation of a new production by the Glyndebourne opera company, looking at the challenges of mounting a huge choral piece and touring with it during a time of rising Covid rates.

While most oratorios put the spotlight on the soloists, Handel’s Messiah has the chorus at its heart. We hear from performers in one of the foremost choruses in international opera, as they take on a piece that wholeheartedly showcases its singers in everything from the exhilarating He Trusted in God to the rapt wonder and stillness of Worthy is the Lamb. Conductor Ben Glassberg discusses the challenge of finding a new way to tell the story of Christ’s birth, crucifixion and resurrection in such a well-known and well-loved work.

Image: The Glyndebourne chorus rehearses Handel's Messiah (Credit: Richard Hubert Smith)

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