Handel's Messiah | Bristol Choral Society

For over 120 years we’ve been getting a seasonal handle on Messiah and under our new Music Director Hilary Campbell, the Handelian tradition turns the page on a fresh chapter.

A pithy overture. A tenor soloist clearing his throat in readiness: Messiah has begun! Bristol Choral Society’s performance of Handel’s great oratorio – composed at white heat in the summer of 1741 – can trace a distinguished history back nearly a century and a quarter. For many it’s up there with bringing home the tree or collecting the bird in signalling that Christmas is just around the corner. Our performing style might have changed over the years but our commitment and enthusiasm remain as unassailable as ever. Once again we’re joined by fine soloists and this year by the Bristol Ensemble. After attending Messiah’s premiere one Irish Bishop remarked ‘it seemed to be a species of musick different from any other… so great and open as to please all who have ears and will listen’. Nearly 275 years on, willing ears marvel still.