Guest: Kutlwano Masote, Conductor and Presenter of SAfm’s Weekend Sundowner Classics 4-7pm (Saturday & Sunday)

In his oratorio, Messiah, German-born English composer Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1750) gave humanity music with both meaning and artistic appeal. You would have to search deep in the canon of art music to find a work to rival Messiah in this regard and likely fall short. Like all iconic art, it carries mystery and legend. For example, why do we all rise to our feet as soon as the Hallelujah chorus starts, and why did Handel decide to premier this work in Dublin?
Handel looked to the poetry of the King James Version of the bible for texts, but Messiah is universal in its message and appeal.
In South Africa Messiah has been a staple for choirs of all backgrounds and proficiency levels over the last hundred years. There was even a performance of the Hallelujah chorus by political prisoners on Robben Island in the 1960s, recently the subject of a BBC radio documentary. Sections of Messiah still form part of prescribed repertoire for singing competitions and music examinations.