Messiah on Good Friday
This event has already happened
This event took place on Friday 15 April 2022.
- Friday 15 April 2022
- Royal Albert Hall
Messiah on Good Friday
Fri 15 Apr 2022
Need to know
Repertoire
- Handel Messiah
Features
- Richard Cooke Conductor
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Location
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore,
South Kensington,
London SW7 2AP
United Kingdom
Keri Fuge Soprano
Madeleine Shaw Mezzo-soprano
Jamie MacDougall Tenor
James Platt Bass
Richard Pearce Organist
Royal Choral Society
‘He is the master of us all’, Joseph Haydn is alleged to have said on hearing the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus from Handel’s Messiah. The work has never lost its popularity, and the Royal Choral Society’s performances on Good Friday each year have grown into something of a national event.
The choir first performed Handel’s Messiah in its opening season in 1872, but it was in 1876 that the first Good Friday performance took place at the Royal Albert Hall, and has been repeated every year since then with the exception of wartime (1940/1) and the recent pandemic (2020). A reduced performance accompanied on the Royal Albert Hall organ took place in May 2021.
The Royal Choral Society’s 146th performance of Handel’s Messiah on Good Friday marks the beginning of the choir’s year-long 150th anniversary celebrations. Britain’s favourite choral masterpiece will be conducted by Royal Choral Society Music Director Richard Cooke, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, organist Richard Pearce and a quartet of superb soloists.