Handel: Messiah by Händel, De (2018/2018), Director musical Stephen Layton, St David's Hall, Cardiff, United Kingdom

We’re sorry to announce that Iestyn Davies is unable to perform with us this evening due to illness. However, we are delighted that Jess Dandy will replace Iestyn as alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah. Handel needed a change of fortune in 1740. His latest opera had flopped and he was in dire straits. So he turned to oratorios instead and with this, his sixth in the genre, he hit gold. From humble beginnings at its première in a packed Irish town hall, Messiah remains his most performed work by far. Can you imagine a season without it?