Why Christopher loves Handel

August 2, 2007

With the opening of the Handel House Museum in November 2001, and the current Discovering Handel festival at the South Bank, it seems that Handel is hip again. Last month, journalist Charlotte Higgins asked various musicians, directors and writers why they love Handel. Christopher said

It interests me that Handel was never a paid employee. Even when he lived in the homes of noble patrons he was treated as an aristocratic guest; he was always on the right side of the baize door. He always worked on his own terms, and this Churchillian strength of character comes across in his music. He was fearless. He could tell the whole story of Christianity in a single oratorio; he could depict in music — using just a single line of strings — the sun standing still. And yet his music never has a ‘look at me’ quality. There was never any sense of the ivory tower with Handel. They say he could swear in nine languages.
The Guardian, 8 February 2002