Why no Messiah at The Met?

The likely answer is that there is a surfeit of organizations in the NYC
area that regularly perform the work, and some of them perform it very
well, if not superbly.  Add the cost factor and you have a situation where
the public would have to pay a lot more to hear a performance of the
work by the Met vs. other organizations.  Also, where are you going to
perform the the work? If at the Met, you would have to have soloists
capable of singing in such a large hall.  Further, you need to recognize
that the Messiah is a "nicht" work that attracts a particular audience --
one of a certain size and  tastes that would  not necessarily be attracted
to a Met performance of it.

What it all comes down to is "Why re-invent the wheel?".

Best from Boston.
Ray Gouin

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And more's the pity, because until the last quarter century or so, the Met
regularly offered concerts and works like the Manzoni Requiem as part of
its "repertoire".  There was a time when music, voice, vocalism and personality
had a distinct value, divorced from the physical trappings of what we nowadays
politely call "production values".

About fifteen years ago Romophone produced a CD called "An Old Met
Messiah", and another called "An Old Met Christmas".  Those who are interested
in vocalism for its sake might try to find them.  They reveal a great deal about
what was "right" then and what is "wrong" now.

Bob