Many 21st-century performances of Handel's Messiah have over a hundred people in the chorus, but when Messiah was first performed in 1742, the chorus probably had more like 15 people.
This is a guided tour of how Handel's Messiah would have sounded at its premiere over 250 years ago.
Listen on demand here, or tune in to Classical IPR on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. or Sunday, Dec. 19 at 12 p.m.
This program features the Christmas portion of Messiah from the 2006 Linn Records recording by the Dunedin Consort and Players. Click here for more information about the album.
