William Dart: Auckland Choral's Messiah - review 15 Dec, 2020 04:00 PM 2 minutes to read Uwe Grodd conducts the Auckland Choral during a performance of Handel's Messiah at the Auckland Town Hall. Photo / Supplied Uwe Grodd conducts the Auckland Choral during a performance of Handel's Messiah at the Auckland Town Hall. Photo / Supplied Auckland Choral's Messiah is a highlight of the city's musical calendar. Two performances of the oratorio invariably bring in sizeable audiences, with many experiencing their only concert hall outing of the year. Uwe Grodd's congenial welcome always places the performance in a topical context. In 2018 the conductor made a brief Brexit quip; tonight was described as a much-appreciated level 1 Messiah (he had been concerned that it might have been cancelled as happened during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic).