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Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms
Tom Morris, Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic, brings the Bristol Proms to a close with a stunning part-staging of Handel's Messiah.
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1. The final night
On the final night of the Bristol Proms, the Bristol Old Vic stage was handed over to its creative director, Tom Morris.
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2. Tom Morris's production of Handel's Messiah
Morris presented a part-staging of Handel's Messiah.
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3. "Absolutely Terrifying"
Morris, more familiar with theatre, admitted the process of staging one of Handel's most celebrated works was "absolutely terrifying".
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4. The return of the Messiah
Morris was keen to bring the Messiah back to Bristol Old Vic having last been performed there in 1782.
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5. Music comes back to Bristol Old Vic
More familiar with theatre productions, Bristol Old Vic had originally played host to countless musical performances.
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6. Sounds good?
The theatre's acoustics were originally designed for musical performances as well as theatrical performances.
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7. Messiah's theatrical themes
Tom Morris described Handel as a "dramatist", and told Classic FM he was keen to explore the more theatrical themes of the Messiah.
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8. Handel the dramatist
Heaping praise on Handel, Morris described him as "by for most musical dramatist of his age".
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9. The alto role
Morris's interest in the play, and the composer, was also piqued on finding out that Handel had originally chosen an actress - rather than a trained singer - to perform the alto role.
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10. "Surprisingly Emotional'
Through a series of 'surprisingly emotional' rehearsals, Morris was keen to explore the Messiah's theme of "what it might feel like to recover from grief through belief".
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11. A packed house
In front of a sold-out crowd at Bristol Old Vic, the Messiah provided a fitting finale to the inaugural Bristol Proms.
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12. Help from friends
Southbank Sinfonia and The Erebus Ensemble were drafted by Morris for the production.
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13. Maestro Over
Simon Over conducted and also helped Tom Morris realise his ambition of getting Handel's Messiah back on to the Bristol Old Vic stage.
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14. Getting intimate with the performance
As per the other concerts in the Bristol Proms, a standing area allowed people to get closer to the performance.
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15. Cramming them in
The standing area, says Morris, is another nod to the theatre's history, where seating was removed to cram more people in.
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16. Promenade Concerts return
The Bristol Proms also echoed the popularity of 'Promenade Concerts' which were very popular at the Bristol Old Vic in the 19th Century.
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17. Huge applause
To thunderous applause, the curtain came down on Handel's Messiah and the first Bristol Proms.
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18. And next year?
When asked by Classic FM whether there'd be a Bristol Proms next year, Morris admitted they were already thinking about artists... watch this space.
