Messiah remains Handel’s best-known work, with performances particularly popular during the Advent season, although also it also covers the Passion and contemplation of its significance. Handel made numerous revisions to his manuscript score, and these were designed to match the forces available for the 1742 Dublin premiere. Surviving manuscripts contain radically different settings of many numbers, requiring vocal and instrumental ornamentation. The piece is often performed with large scale forces. This reflects developments In the 19th century, especially in Britain and the United States, which moved away from Handel’s original performance practice, towards a more grandiose approach. The use of huge forces led to augmentation of the orchestral parts. Although performances which strive for a type of authenticity, which match the way Handel would have experienced the piece are now more common, there can never be a definitive version of Messiah
This performance returns the Messiah to modest instrumental forces, played on period instruments by the Musical and Amicable Society. The solos are performed by the professional luminatus vocal ensemble, who also sing the chorus parts. This reflects the group’s approach to repertoire, with a focus on Renaissance music, much rarely heard before, contemporary pieces and Baroque or early Classical music (with original instruments). Recent reviews have described the wonderful clarity of their sound and excellent ensemble, leading to a ‘a performance to treasure’. Their recent CD O Beata Virgo Maria has been widely acclaimed, and their 2025 CD, Love Divine, explores the work of Phillipe de Monte, Tiburtio Massaino and Ippolito Baccusi, as well as some contemporary female composers.
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