The holiday season inevitably brings a cascade of performances of Handel's "Messiah, " and it's rare to come across one that makes you hear this well-worn piece anew.
When I was talking to non-musician friends and they said it takes too long to get to the part of Handel's "Messiah" where everyone stands up, I realized that "Messiah" was in dire need of an update.
Within hours of landing, I had sat at the organ upon which George Frideric Handel played the London premiere of "Messiah, " stood in the poky little room where Charles Dickens wrote "Oliver Twist, " and accepted my award upon the very spot that the residence of Lord Peter Wimsey had once stood, at 110A Piccadilly.