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    Handel

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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.

    1. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    2. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      2. Tom Morris's production of Handel's Messiah

      Morris presented a part-staging of Handel's Messiah.

    3. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      3. "Absolutely Terrifying"

      Morris, more familiar with theatre, admitted the process of staging one of Handel's most celebrated works was "absolutely terrifying".

    4. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    5. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      5. Music comes back to Bristol Old Vic

      More familiar with theatre productions, Bristol Old Vic had originally played host to countless musical performances.

    6. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      6. Sounds good?

      The theatre's acoustics were originally designed for musical performances as well as theatrical performances.

    7. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    8. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      8. Handel the dramatist

      Heaping praise on Handel, Morris described him as "by for most musical dramatist of his age".

    9. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    10. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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".

    11. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    12. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      12. Help from friends

      Southbank Sinfonia and The Erebus Ensemble were drafted by Morris for the production.

    13. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    14. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    15. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    16. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

    17. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      17. Huge applause

      To thunderous applause, the curtain came down on Handel's Messiah and the first Bristol Proms.

    18. Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

      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.

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