Messiah - A Sacred Oratorio, Handel; London 2006 Barbican - Colin Davis [Full Length]

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Handel Messiah 1741; In three parts:

Part I - The Saviour promised; will shake the nations, Jews; who may abide...refiner's fire; virgin shall conceive – God with us, light in darkness; shepherds in the field, angel announces - born in the city of David...Christ the Lord; Zion's King; works of redemption

Scene 1: Isaiah's prophecy of salvation

1. Sinfony - overture (orchestra)

2. Comfort ye my people (tenor recitation)
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:1-3)

3. Every valley shall be exalted (air for tenor)
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight, and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

4.And the glory of the LORD (chorus)
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:5)

Scene 2: The coming judgment

5. Thus saith the LORD (bass recitation)
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: --Yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come. (Haggai 2:6, 7)
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

6. But who may abide (air for bass)
But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire. (Malachi 3:2)

7. And he shall purify (chorus)
And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)

Scene 3: The prophecy of Christ's birth

8. Behold a Virgin shall conceive (alto recitation)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name EMMANUEL, God with us. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

9. O thou that telleth good tidings to Zion (air for alto, chorus)
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! --- Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 40:9; 60:1)

10. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (bass recitation)
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:2, 3)

11. The people that walked in darkness (air for bass)
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

12. For unto us a child is born (chorus)
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Scene 4: Birth of the Saviour announced to shepherds Christ the Lord

13. Pifa "pastoral symphony" (orchestra)

14. There were shepherds abiding in a field (soprano recitation)
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. (Luke 2:8)

15. And lo the angel of the Lord came upon them (continued soprano recitation)
And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. (Luke 2:9)

16. And the angel said unto them (continued)
And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10, 11)

17. And suddenly there was with the angel (continued)
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: (Luke 2:13)

18. Glory to God (chorus)
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men. (Luke 2:14)

Scene 5: Christ's healing and redemption of his people

19. Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion (air for soprano)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Saviour, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen. (Zechariah 9:9, 10)

20. Then shall the eyes of the blind (soprano recitation)
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. (Isaiah 35:5, 6)

21. He shall feed his flock (air for either soprano or alto)
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)
Come unto Him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and He shall give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him for He is meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29)

22. His yoke is easy and his burthen is light (chorus)
His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)


Part II – Christ revealed, rejected; crucifixion – iniquity of us all laid on him, he was cut off; resurrection – did not see corruption; ascension - gates open, received into Heaven, angels worship; Gospel preached to ends of the world, rejected; heathen rage; judgment comes; Christ victorious; glorious Alleluia chorus

Scene 1: Christ's Passion

23. (1) Behold the lamb of God (chorus)
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)

24. (2) He was despised (air for alto)
He was despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)

25. (3) Surely he hath borne our griefs (chorus)
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. (Isaiah 53:4,5)

26. (4) And with his stripes (chorus)
And with His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

27. (5) All we like sheep (chorus)
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

28. (6) All they that see him laugh him to scorn (bass recitation)
All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn, they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads saying,: (Psalms 22:7)

29. (7) He trusted in God (chorus)
He trusted in God that He would deliver Him; let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him. (Psalms 22:8)

30. (8) Thy rebuke hath broken his heart (tenor or soprano recitation)
Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man; neither found He any to comfort Him. (Psalms 69:20)

31. (9) Behold and see (tenor or soprano recitation)
Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow. (Lamentations 1:12)

Scene 2: Christ's Death and Resurrection

32. (10) He was cut off (tenor or soprano recitation)
He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of Thy people was He stricken. (Isaiah 53:8)

33. (11) But thou didst not leave his soul in hell (air for tenor or soprano)
But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption. (Psalms 16:10)

Scene 3: Christ's Ascension

34. (12) Lift up your heads (chorus)
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. (Psalms 24:7-10)

Scene 4: Christ's reception in Heaven

35. (13) Unto which of the angels said he at any time (tenor recitation)
Unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee? (Hebrews 1:5)

36. (14) Let all the angels of God worship Him (chorus)
Let all the angels of God worship Him. (Hebrews 1:6)

Scene 5: The beginnings of Gospel preaching

37. (15) Thou art gone up on high (air for alto or soprano)
Thou art gone up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them. (Psalms 68:18)

38. (16) The Lord gave the word (chorus)
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of the preachers. (Psalms 68:11)

39. (17) How beautiful are the feet (aria for soprano)
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. (Romans 10:15)

40. (18) Their sound is gone out (chorus)
Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world. (Romans 10:18)

Scene 6: The world's rejection of the Gospel

41. (19) Why do the nations rage (air for bass)
Why do the nations so furiously rage together? and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed. (Psalms 2:1, 2)

42. (20) Let us break their bands asunder (chorus)
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalms 2:3)

43. (21) He that dwelleth in heaven (tenor recitation) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision. (Psalms 2:4)

Scene 7: God's ultimate victory

44. (22) Thou shalt break them (air for tenor)
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. (Psalms 2:9)

45. (23) Alleluia (chorus)
Alleluia! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever. KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS, Alleluia! (Revelation 19:6; 11:15; 19:16)


Part III - Sin, death defeated: where is thy sting; Christ Jesus rose from the dead, so shall his redeemed; redeemed in Heaven give glory unto the Lamb that was slain - for ever and ever; Amen

Scene 1: The promise of eternal life

46. (1) I know that my redeemer liveth (air for soprano)
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. (Job 19:25, 26)
For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first-fruits of them that sleep. (I Corinthians 15:20)

47. (2) Since by man came death (chorus)
Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Corinthians 15:21-22)

48. (3) Behold I tell you a mystery (bass recitation)
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (I Corinthians 15:51, 52)

49. (4) The trumpet shall sound (air for bassist)
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (I Corinthians 15:52, 53)

Scene 2: The final conquest of death

50. (5) Then shall be brought to pass (alto recitative)
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:54)

51. (6) O death where is thy sting? (duet alto and tenor)
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (I Corinthians 15:55, 56)

52. (7) But thanks be to God (chorus)
But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:57)

53. (8) If God be for us (air for soprano or alto)
If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:31, 33, 34)

Scene 3: The acclamation of Christ

54. (9) Worthy is the Lamb that was slain / Amen (chorus)
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 5:12,13)

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Conductor Colin Davis
London Symphony Orchestra
Barbican Hall, London 2006

Susan Gritton (soprano)
Sara Mingardo (contralto)
Mark Padmore (tenor)
Alastair Miles (bass)

Tenebrae Choir

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Handel's Messiah - 1741: Composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741 over a brief 24-day period (260 pages), the correct title is simply "Messiah". It is an oratorio. Acclaimed through the centuries as the greatest musical composition ever written, the term 'inspired' has often been suggested in attempting to describe the work. Whether that be the case or not, certainly no greater subject matter were ever possible than that of this 'oratorio'. Written entirely with the inspired Word of God from the King James Bible, it is a presentation of the Saviour of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, from the prophecies that went before, to His coming triumphant reign of heaven and earth. On the bottom of the manuscript Handel wrote "SDG" — Soli Deo Gloria, "To God alone the glory". Upon finishing the Alleluia chorus -- end of part II, Handel is said to have exclaimed "I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God himself!” In three parts:

Related: The Last Trump (solved) and the Pretribulation Rapture  [study]