Live from the Royal Albert Hall , London. Handel's masterpiece forms a cornerstone of this season's celebration of great choral music across the centuries. In a succession of glorious arias and choruses, it unfolds the dealings of God with man from the old testament prophecies to the coming of the Messiah and the apocalyptic vision of the final judgement and redemption of mankind. Hillevi Martinpelto (soprano),
Monica Groop (mezzo), Kurt Streit (tenor), Nathan Berg (bass-baritone),
English Concert Choir and Orchestra, conductorTrevor Pinnock
Handel Messiah (Part 1)
8.30 Interval: Handel's London
David Huckvale looks at London life in the 1740s - a place of violent social contrasts between rich and poor.
8.50 Messiah (Part 2)