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Too Hot To Handel: Gospel Messiah

Singer Vanessa Haynes on stage
Michael O’Halloran, BBC Studios
/
PBS
Singer Vanessa Haynes on stage

Premieres Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app

Handel’s 18th-century masterpiece “The Messiah” is reimagined by Conductor Marin Alsop and colleagues Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson.

Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah: Trailer

Handel’s arias, choruses, and orchestration are infused with gospel, jazz, and R&B, creating an uplifting reinterpretation of this seasonal favorite.

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Too Hot To Handel with Marin Alsop

“Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah” has been seen regularly across the United States since its premiere in New York in 1993. This performance in front of nearly 5,000 people at London’s Royal Albert Hall marks its European premiere.

Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah: Vanessa Haynes performs "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion"

Presented by choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, the program sees the BBC Concert Orchestra joined by the BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Adventist Chorale, along with soloists Vanessa Haynes and Zwakele Tshabalala.

Watch On Your Schedule: "Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah" will be available to stream with the PBS app.

"Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah" is on Facebook