Baroque Banter Episode 34: Handel's Messiah: Origins and Afterlife

About this episode

This episode explores the origins and afterlife of Handel’s Messiah, featuring insights from Dr Erin Helyard and a live performance by Ashlyn Tymms.

Recorded live at the State Library of NSW, this episode of Baroque Banter takes you on a captivating journey into the origins and afterlife of Handel’s Messiah. Ahead of Pinchgut Opera’s upcoming performance of the Original 1742 Dublin Version, Dr Erin Helyard, Artistic Director of Pinchgut Opera and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, guides us through the rich history, context, and evolution of Handel’s masterpiece. The episode also features a special live performance by mezzo-soprano Ashlyn Tymms, accompanied by Erin on harpsichord. Select Bibliography Donald Burrows, Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks, 1991) Lydia Goehr, The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works: An Essay in the Philosophy of Music (Oxford, 1992) Charles King, Every Valley: The Story of Handel’s Messiah (Random House, 2024) Ruth Smith, Charles Jennens: The Man Behind Handel’s Messiah (Handel House Trust, 2012) Ruth Smith, Handel's Oratorios and Eighteenth-Century Thought (Cambridge University Press, 1995)

People in this episode

Host: Dr Erin Helyard

Guest: Ashlyn Tymms

Topics covered

• Handel's Messiah
• music history
• live performance
• Baroque music
• Pinchgut Opera
• artistic direction

Keywords

• Handel
• Messiah
• Baroque
• Pinchgut Opera
• live performance
• music history
• Erin Helyard
• Ashlyn Tymms

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pinchgut Opera

Books & works: Handel's Messiah, Every Valley: The Story of Handel’s Messiah, Handel: Messiah, The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works: An Essay in the Philosophy of Music, Charles Jennens: The Man Behind Handel’s Messiah, Handel's Oratorios and Eighteenth-Century Thought

Places: State Library of NSW

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