Can you handle Handel?!

This weekend, the Susanville Symphony, along with singers from all over the region, will be performing George Frideric Handel's famous Messiah. Since we're on the subject of Handel and the Messiah, I came across some fascinating factoids from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to share...

Most folks know that the Messiah was first performed in Dublin, Ireland in 1742. But they may not know that it was performed during Easter time, which was the original intent of the composer and his supporters. The Messiah became more associated with Christmas during the Victorian era when folks were putting energy into expanding Christmas as a holiday.

Patrons may know that Handel wrote the entire three hour Messiah in a frenzy of 18 days, but not that he was aided in this endeavor by grabbing from his portfolio of music compositions. "And he shall purify", "For unto us a child is born", and "His yoke is easy", were all originally Italian love arias he had written twenty years earlier.

There are plenty more fascinating factoids, but I'll wait for another year to share them. This weekend's performance will be the first such performance in nine years, and will feature Mozart's arrangement.