Comfort and Triumph
Prof. Jochen Biganzoli Stages Handel’s “Messiah” at the German National Theater in Weimar
What can we hope for when we live in community? What happens when we translate the dramatic and evocative power of Georg Friedrich Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” into our present day? How can our contemporary experiences of proclamation, fear, comfort, and triumph resonate within the work?
Jochen Biganzoli, director and professor of music theater/stage design at the Weimar Music University, explores these questions in his production of *Messiah* as a “community oratorio” at the German National Theater (DNT). “In three parts, “The Messiah” tells a universal story of promise, sacrifice, and redemption, whose biblical language can be surprisingly directly linked to contemporary issues such as media overload, isolation, radicalization, but also solidarity and hope,” says the director.
Under the musical direction of Music Director Daniel Carter, more than 100 voices come together on stage. In addition to the DNT’s professional ensembles, a community choir participates—deliberately blurring the boundaries between the stage and urban society. The production premieres on Saturday, September 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the DNT’s Main Auditorium.
Students from the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar are also part of this choir. They are gaining stage experience, learning about rehearsal processes, and—along with many others—taking on the challenge of trying something new and overcoming their fear of doing so. This participatory choir project is taking place as part of the Weimar Arts Festival.
“It’s a great opportunity to get a taste of the entire rehearsal process. Jochen Biganzoli has opened up the opportunity for the entire Department of Voice to participate,” says Katharina Riel, who is in her third semester of her bachelor’s degree in Prof. Silke Evers-Osthoff’s voice class. “For example, I’ve learned the difference between musical and theatrical rehearsals, what a difference it makes to also have to act, and how that can sometimes even be helpful.”
[August 28, 2026]