England. 1740. The world's greatest composer - 52-year-old George Frederic Handel - has enthralled London audiences for 25 years, but has suffered a paralytic stroke. His recent opera season flopped and he is bankrupt, being sued. He is too broke to retire. His favorite soprano has been caught in a forbidden love affair, her sordid story headlining the press. And his librettist, from one of the wealthiest families in Britain, is despondent over the suicide of his beloved younger brother and unable to interest Handel in his new libretto. Thus, three people in the midst of their "dark nights of the soul," undertake what seems a divinely inspired mission in which they find healing, forgiveness and a new creative energy. Messiah has become the most performed Oratorio in the world since 1742, presented over 200 times a year just in the United States. Based entirely on historical events, immersive, rich in setting, character and with spiritually redemptive themes, this classic story is the backstory to Handel's masterpiece.
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