The ghost of Handel hovers overhead. The old organ is silent. Right on cue, the new up-beat Handel walks in. He's wearing a T-shirt, shades, chinos and . . . a long, powdered wig. He makes his way to the organ at St Michan's Church. George Frederick himself practised his choral masterpiece at this very organ in 1742 - surely he's spinning in his grave.
No, say the organisers. The new version, Messiah XX1, with Gladys Knight and Gospel choirs and blues, jazz and modern sounds, will "be immediately accessible to a much wider audience", according to John Kearns, one of the main men behind this new venture which will be premiered in early December.
Minister Seamus Brennan, chairman of the National Millennium Committee, is present to announce a £700,000 commitment towards the project. Pianist and composer Frank McNamara, who will conduct both performances in the RDS, is there too. A CD and video will be released also to mark the event, tipped to be "the most memorable in Ireland's millennium celebrations".
