Handel: Messiah

'Perhaps no one has ever asserted so forcefully the victory of the spirit over death; no one has ever spoken with such firm tenderness of acceptance and gentleness. Handel's message is addressed to mankind oppressed by the sorrows and complications of life. Everyone can understand it: it is simple, and it is written for everyone. Sometimes this simplicity is thrown back at him as a reproach; but it is the very core of his strength, permitting him to be listened to and loved by people who never attend a concert. Which should be every composer's ambition'. (J.-F. Labie)