Handel would perhaps have been puzzled by the proliferation of performances of his Messiah in the weeks before Christmas. His original intention was that the oratorio should be heard at Easter, but given that it examines the Christian narrative from annunciation to second coming as fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, you could argue that it ultimately has no associations with any specific period in the liturgical calendar.

The Barbican, however, has long adhered to the tradition of a performance in December, the honours this year falling to the Academy of Ancient Music under Richard Egarr, ahead of their European tour with the same work. Egarr’s interpretation is primarily devotional, offsetting the music’s expressive range with a certain rigour, even severity. Handel repeatedly tinkered with the score and never produced a definitive text. Orchestrally, Egarr kept it simple, approximating the forces used for the 1742 Dublin premiere – a handful of strings, trumpets and drums, with a single bassoon to prop the bass line. His avoidance of stateliness brought with it an occasional lack of majesty, though the emotional trajectory was securely plotted, with the central depiction of the Passion and resurrection admirably taut, and the great outpouring of joy reserved for the final vision of how “the dead shall be raised incorruptible” on judgment day.

Vocally, much of it was remarkable. The choir of the AAM sang with focused clarity throughout: the counterpoint was wonderfully precise and their diction exceptional. There was a fine quartet of soloists. Robert Murray was the elegant tenor, Stephan Loges the charismatic, dark-voiced bass. Particularly outstanding, however, were soprano Ailish Tynan and countertenor Tim Mead. Her ardour perfectly balanced his controlled, authoritative hauteur. The duet He Shall Feed His Flock, in which the soprano takes over the alto line and lifts it heavenwards, was breathtaking.