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b"Hallelujah! Handel\\u2019s \\u2018Messiah\\u2019 is one of the cornerstones of Western classical music. But when it had its London premiere at Covent Garden on 23rd March 1743, it was billed as \\u201ca new sacred oratorio\\u201d, lest the real title of the show seem blasphemous.\\nTo further mitigate the problem of performing religious work in a secular playhouse, librettist Charles Jennens ensured that no one singer could be said to be \\u2018playing\\u2019 the role of Christ, and profits from the show were donated to charity.\\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how fashionable Italian singers were liable to attract as much laughter as praise; reveal what Mozart and Beethoven made of Handel\\u2019s masterpiece; and explain how the production at Crystal Palace in 1850 blew the original out of the water\\u2026\\xa0\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 \\u2018The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah\\u2019 (Smithsonian Magazine, 2009): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-glorious-history-of-handels-messiah-148168540/\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Charles Jennens: The unsung hero of Handel\\u2019s Messiah\\u2019 (The Globe and Mail, 2016): https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/charles-jennens-the-unsung-hero-of-handels-messiah/article33389290/\\n\\u2022 \\u2018'Hallelujah Chorus' from Handel's Messiah\\u2019 (Royal Choral Society, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c\\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"