Messiah, HWV 56

Composer: Handel, George Frideric

Librettist/Text Author: Jennens, Charles

Conductor: Spinosi, Jean-Christophe

Orchestra: Ensemble Matheus

Chorus: Arnold Schoenberg Choir

Chorus Master: Ortner, Erwin

Bass: Boesch, Florian

Boy Soprano: Pollmann, Martin

Counter-tenor: Mehta, Bejun

Dancer: Lorenger, Paul

Soprano: Gritton, Susan

Soprano: Horak, Cornelia

Tenor: Croft, Richard

Set Designer: Schmidt, Christian

Costume Designer: Schmidt, Christian

Lighting Designer: Hoffmann, Jurgen

Choreographer: Sigl, Ramses

Stage Director: Guth, Claus

Television Producer: Herbst, Magdalena

Television Director: Rossacher, Hannes

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Date of Production: 2009

Venue: Theater an der Wien

Playing Time: 02:34:41

Catalogue Number: A04001515

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On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Handel's death, Vienna's Theater an der Wien, famous for innovative and unconventional opera productions, realized a unique and truly extraordinary project: the staging of one of Handel's most popular oratorios. For this production, the theater signed up one of the most renowned stage directors of our time, Claus Guth. The result: "An emotionally and psychologically changed sequences of images", as the Suddeutsche Zeitung wrote about Gith's portrayal of a family dynasty, complete with guilt, betrayal, suicide and reconciliation.

Conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi triumphs "with his phenomenal orchestra (Ensemble Matheus) and the subtle Arnold Schoenberg Choir" (Suddeutsche Zeitung). Winner of the Diapason d'Ore and the BBC Music Magazine Award, the ensemble is internationally acclaimed for its interpretation of early music on authentic period instruments. Offering "the best of Handel vocal artistry" (Frankfurter Rundschau) are Cornelia Horak, Susan Gritton, Richard Croft and the sublime altus Bejun Mehta. Video director Hannes Rossacher, internationally known as one of the leading video directors for rock and pop events (Rolling Stones), has captured this unique performance of the oratorio on film.