Contributed by Kimberley Cuachon-Haugh

With the precipitous pace of the holidays, its true meaning can easily be forgotten. No matter the change in décor trends for your tree, if you decide to go with clear or colorful lights for the outside, an unfaltering facet is Virginia Symphony’s Handel’s Messiah. An oratorio written by German composer George Frederic Handel, it is by far the most celebrated piece of musical literature. The libretto, written by Charles Jennins taken directly from the Bible depicts the birth, life, passion, and power of Christ.

Insider’s Passport talks to music director and maestro JoAnn Falletta about Messiah.

IP: How many seasons has the Virginia Symphony been performing Messiah?

JF: “They’ve been doing it ever since and I’ve done maybe half of those [performances]. And for me I love to do it because it means that it’s that time of the season. I always tell the chorus and the orchestra that it doesn’t feel like Christmas to me unless they do Handel’s Messiah. Even though Handel originally wrote it for Easter but it’s just become a staple of the Christmas season and a very beautiful one. And it just has a very special meaning to many of us.”

IP: Why do you think it is known as the “greatest story ever told” and the “most majestic piece conceived”?

JF: “Handel moved to England and he really fell in love with the English people and this oratorio writing for the English people in the English language, there was a lot of personal love and feeling of attachment and that connection with the people. And it’s really a story of God’s life and even for those who aren’t believers the story is still really powerful and sincere, and the music that Handel wrote is of great power. It is uplifting in and of itself, and it is very moving when you hear it.”

IP: How many musicians will there be this year?

JF: “From the symphony there will be 45 musicians, and there’s the chorus (Virginia Symphony Chorus) and the soloists, so easily almost 200 people on stage.”

IP: Since this is a yearly performance, how do you manage to keep it fresh for you and your musicians?

JF: “The music alone does that and when we come back to it each year we realize how miraculous it is and what it means to us. You sort of rediscover it each time, so we never get tired of it. Handel wrote this at the height of his career and he wrote it less than a month and he was just at the height of his creative power.”

IP: You will be performing at Regent University, St. Bede Catholic Church, and the Ferguson Center, is there one that you love most?

JF: “They’re all wonderful and what I love about them is that they’re all totally different. Regent is this colonial style and St. Bede is very inspiring. Ferguson is one of our favorite halls, it just has amazing acoustics.”

See Handel's Messiah

Friday, December 10, 2010 at 8:00 PM: St. Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg

Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 8:00 PM: Regent University, Virginia Beach

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 2:30 PM: Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News