The Foundation Choir performed Messiah for the first time in 1985. Since then, this Christmas concert has been regularly programmed as part of its artistic season, becoming one of the most popular works with the public, both in the Baroque repertoire and in classical music as a whole.
During the period 2003-2019, the Foundation Choir performed the piece together with solo voices from different European Union countries under the title “Europe Hails Christmas: Messiah”.
A masterpiece of symphonic-choral music, Messiah has become the most renowned oratorio by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Composed in 1741 for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, four-part choir and orchestra, with a libretto by the poet Charles Jennes based on the biblical text, its first public performance took place on 10th April 1742, four days before its premiere at Neal’s Music Hall in Dublin. The work is divided into three parts that form the liturgical year, through the different stages in the life and death of Christ.