Misha Glenny

speaker

1,430 appearances 22 recordings 1 series first heard May 2026 last heard 5d ago

Misha Glenny’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 22 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 6.

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In Our Time · Handel's Messiah · 7 May 2026 podcast

This is In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 and this is one of more than a thousand episodes you can find in the In Our Time archive. voice-verified

A reading list for this edition can be found in the episode description wherever you're listening. voice-verified

I hope you enjoy the programme. voice-verified

Hello. voice-verified

In 1742, in a secular Dublin music hall, the first audience heard Handel's Messiah, a sacred oratorio, from its first word, comfort, to the chorus of hallelujahs, to the last word, amen. voice-verified

The librettist Charles Jennings had drawn from biblical texts prophecies about the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the Nativity, the suffering of Christ and his death, and the Day of Judgment and redemption for all. voice-verified

Handel continued to adapt his Messiah for later performances, and it proved to be one of his most popular works, becoming a favourite of massed choirs around the world far beyond the scale of Handel's original. voice-verified

Well, with me to discuss Handel's Messiah are Ruth Smith, trustee and council member of the Handel Institute, Larry Zazo, countertenor and senior lecturer in music at Newcastle University, and Donald Burrows, emeritus professor of music at The Open University. voice-verified

Donald, I'd like to start with you. voice-verified

Handel was born in Halle in Brandenburg in 1685, but he'd been based in London since around 1714. voice-verified

What should we know about his life and reputation in London? voice-verified

He foresaw this, to put it mildly there. voice-verified

Apparently Handel wrote this very quickly within the space of about three weeks or so. voice-verified

Was that usual for him? voice-verified

Donald, can you tell us exactly what an oratorio is? voice-verified

So the transition from opera to oratorio in that case wasn't quite so difficult. voice-verified

But of course you need a librettist, and Ruth Smith, I'd like to ask you about the librettist for Messiah, Charles Jennings. voice-verified

What was his relationship with Handel like, both personally and professionally? voice-verified

So he was wealthy, committed to Handel. voice-verified

But the Messiah as a libretto, it begins with the word comfort. voice-verified

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