Handel’s most enduring masterpiece was written at a furious pace in just three weeks during the summer of 1741, in preparation for a series of subscription performances in Dublin. Premiered in April, 1742, it was an immediate critical and popular success, and has remained so through the 21^st century. Handel’s skill not only as a master composer but as a superb dramatist is everywhere in evidence in Messiah, and has made it perhaps the most beloved choral-orchestral masterpiece of the last three centuries. We will present excerpts of the lesser-known Lenten portion of Messiah, ending with the glorious Hallelujah.