Episodes
| Series | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Amen | 20190426 | Donald Macleod and his guest Ruth Smith look at the end of Handel's collaboration with Charles Jennens, and the legacy they left embedded in Messiah. In the winter of 1741, Handel packed his bags and left London for Dublin, where he spent nearly nine months writing and performing in the city. The main work that he premiered there was a new oratorio which proved to be one of the landmarks of his career. Across the week we hear the whole of Handel's Messiah, uncover the secrets of its origins and dispel the myths that still surround it. Today, Donald and Ruth look at the end of the collaboration between Handel and his collaborator Charles Jennens. They left behind not only Messiah but also Saul, L'Allegro and their final collaboration, Belshazzar. Messiah remains the greatest of them, and they look at the way in which the work, though embedded in the politics and ideas of its own time, has also come to mean so much to generations of singers and music lovers long after the deaths of Handel and Jennens. Samson: Act I, Scene 2 'O first created beam! The Sixteen Harry Christophers, conductor Samson: Act II, Scene 1 'Return, O God of hosts! Catherine Wyn-Rogers, alto (Micah) Messiah: Part Three (excerpts) Gerald Finley, bass Arnold Schoenberg Choir Concentus Musicus Wien Nikolaus Harnoncourt, director Messiah: Part Three 'If God be for us Clare Wilkinson, alto Dunedin Consort and Players John Butt, conductor Belshazzar: Act I, Scene 3 James Bowman, countertenor (Daniel) Choir of the English Concert Trevor Pinnock Messiah: Part Three 'Worthy is the lamb that was slain Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod looks at the end of Handel's collaboration with Charles Jennens. |
| 2019 | Comfort Ye | 20190422 | Donald Macleod and his guest Ruth Smith tell the real story behind the origins of one of the most popular masterpieces ever composed. In 1741 Handel packed his bags and left London for Dublin, where he spent nearly nine months writing and performing in the city. The main work that he premiered there was a new oratorio which proved to be one of the landmarks of his career. Across the week we hear the whole of Handel's Messiah, uncover the secrets of its origins and dispel the myths that still surround it. In today's programme Donald and Ruth paint a picture of Handel's life in London as he prepared to leave for Ireland, examining the way in which the texts and ideas of Messiah respond to the social and intellectual turbulence of the time. Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus Huddersfield Choral Society Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Malcolm Sargent, conductor Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford The Academy of Ancient Music Simon Preston, conductor Christopher Hogwood, director Ode for St Cecilia's Day (Final movement) Carolyn Sampson, soprano Dunedin Consort Polish Radio Choir John Butt, director Messiah: Part One (excerpts) Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner, director Matthew Brook, bass Annie Gill, contralto Dunedin Consort and Players Israel in Egypt He sent a thick darkness He smote the first born of Egypt But as for His people The Sixteen The Symphony of Harmony and Invention Harry Christophers, conductor Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod tells the story of Handel's Messiah, exploring its music, origins and ideas |
| 2019 | The Man Behind Messiah | 20190423 | Donald Macleod and his guest Ruth Smith tell the story of the man behind Messiah: Handel's great collaborator Charles Jennens. In 1741 Handel packed his bags and left London for Dublin, where he spent nearly nine months writing and performing in the city. The main work that he premiered there was a new oratorio which proved to be one of the landmarks of his career. Across the week we hear the whole of Handel's Messiah, uncover the secrets of its origins and dispel the myths that still surround it. Today Donald and Ruth focus on the extraordinary life and character of Charles Jennens. Controversial, scholarly and passionately devoted to Handel's music, it was Jennens, not Handel, who conceived the idea of Messiah and put together the libretto for Handel to set to music. The two men were very different and although their working relationship was often tense, their collaboration yielded a number of Handel's finest works Saul: Act I How excellent Thy name The Sixteen Harry Christophers, conductor Athalia: Part I Scene 4 Gloomy tyrants, we disdain Choir of New College, Oxford The Academy of Ancient Music Christopher Hogwood, director Messiah: Part One (excerpts) Christopher Purves, bass Lucy Crowe, soprano Le Concert d'Astree Choeur et Orchestre Emmanuelle Haim, director Messiah: Part One (Rejoice greatly) Margaret Marshall, soprano English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Clare Wilkinson, soprano Dunedin Consort and Players John Butt, conductor L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato: As steals the morn Jeremy Ovenden, tenor Gillian Webster, soprano Gabrieli Consort and Players Paul McCreesh, director Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod reveals the influence of Handel's great collaborator, Charles Jennens. |
| 2019 | The Sublime, The Grand And The Tender | 20190425 | Donald Macleod and his guest Ruth Smith talk about the reception of Messiah's early performances in Dublin and the work's long association with charity. In the winter of 1741, Handel packed his bags and left London for Dublin, where he spent nearly nine months writing and performing in the city. The main work that he premiered there was a new oratorio which proved to be one of the landmarks of his career. Across the week we hear the whole of Handel's Messiah, uncover the secrets of its origins and dispel the myths that still surround it. Today Donald and Ruth discuss Messiah's triumphant premiere. A vast crowd was clearly expected - notices were published that begged ladies to come without skirt-hoops and gentlemen without swords. By the second day, panes of glass were even removed to cool the hordes of concertgoers. But crucially, these notices also made it clear that making room for more people would `greatly increase the Charity`. Philanthropy was a staple of 18th-century civic life and Handel was a prolific benefactor. Although Messiah faced a decidedly cooler reception in London, it was with the institution of charity performances at the Foundling Hospital that it eventually found lasting popularity, continuing until Handel's death and beyond. Saul: Act I Scene 5, 'O Lord, whose mercies numberless Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano (David) The Sixteen Harry Christophers, conductor Messiah: Part Two (excerpts) Nicholas Mulroy, tenor Matthew brook, bass Dunedin Consort and Players John Butt, conductor Susan Gritton, soprano Neal Davies, bass Gabrieli Consort & Players Paul McCreesh, conductor Messiah: Part Three (excerpts) Margaret Marshall, soprano Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Utrecht Te Deum, HWV 278 (movements 5 - 10) Nicki Kennedy, soprano William Towers, alto Wolfram Lattke, tenor Julian Podger, tenor Peter Harvey, bass The Netherlands Bach Society Jos van Veldhoven, conductor Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod takes us to Messiah's triumphant premiere and reviews its charitable legacy |
| 2019 | To The Hibernian Shore | 20190424 | Donald Macleod and his guest Ruth Smith discuss Handel's arrival in Dublin and how he gathered his forces for his hotly-awaited subscription concerts. In the winter of 1741, Handel packed his bags and left London for Dublin, where he spent nearly nine months writing and performing in the city. The main work that he premiered there was a new oratorio which proved to be one of the landmarks of his career. Across the week we hear the whole of Handel's Messiah, uncover the secrets of its origins and dispel the myths that still surround it. Today Donald and Ruth follow Handel as his packet-boat docks in Dublin, and he sets about organising his concert series. His organ was shipped over with him, and such was demand and curiosity that Handel conceded to hold open rehearsals. We hear about the crowd-pulling singers he formed', and the other scores in his suitcase that would whet the public's appetite before Messiah's great unveiling. Alexander's Feast: Revenge, Timotheus cries William Berger, baritone Ludus Baroque Richard Neville-Towle, conductor Messiah: Part Two (excerpts) Clare Wilkinson, contralto Nicholas Mulroy, tenor Susan Hamilton, soprano Dunedin Consort and Players John Butt, conductor Organ Concerto Op 7 No 1 in B flat major, HWV 306, IV. Bouree Simon Preston, organ The English Concert Trevor Pinnock, conductor Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker Donald Macleod follows Handel as he settles into Dublin and his concerts cause a sensation |