Messiah gets X certificate

Handel’s Messiah, recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, has been given an X certificate by Apple Computer’s online iTunes Music Store.

That puts German born George Frideric Handel, who became a naturalised Englishman in 1727, in the same category as rapper Eminem whose music has also been slapped with an “explicit” warning.

The baroque composer’s 1742 masterpiece, The Messiah, was marked with the red warning that indicates the content might not be appropriate for young children or others with sensitive tastes.

It is on a recording by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Alldis.

The warning was a technical mix-up, though The Messiah does touch on love, violence and death – in a more profound way than, say, most music produced 260 years later.

“Obviously, there’s been some sort of error,” said Lara Vacante, an Apple spokeswoman.