It has been 30 years since Maestro Francisco de Araujo
conducted this once in a millennium performance of Handel's Messiah. On November 14,1994 Israelis and Palestinians
as well as Christians, Muslims and Jews united to attend The Messiah in
the church that marks the spot where Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.
The
only concert ever recorded in the 1,700-year-old church, it has been restored
and expanded as a mix of music, scenes of the Holy Land, and commentary about
the inspiration, challenges and triumph of this extraordinary event.
Viewers will follow the birth, life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ through a libretto from the bible and music by G. F. Handel, as well as other relevant content. The goal
of the project was to foster peace through the arts.
The film has recently been restored, remastered
and expanded with narrative interviews under the direction of Braintree
Productions in Los Angeles, California. It was only through using the latest AI and Dolby Atmos
technology that this lost treasure could be made ready for a worldwide
audience - with its message of peace and unity through music.
Viewers of the film will be transported
visually and audibly to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and immersed in
the Messiah performance. Notable
in the narrative commentary are Rickey Minor, who just won an Emmy for
conducting the Academy Awards Orchestra and Harvey Mason, Jr. who is the CEO
the Recording Academy, the organization that bestows Grammy Awards.
Handel’s Messiah is performed every Christmas and
Easter in approximately 200 cities worldwide.
For generations Messiah’s music and
message have provided hope and peace to individuals, families, and communities
that annually gather together in concert halls and churches to sing Handel’s Messiah.