The Dresdner Kreuzchor and the Dresdner Philharmonie will perform the Messiah in its entirety in Taipei Wednesday. The English oratorio, written by German-British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel, includes 54 songs and is divided into three parts. Each part has a different theme -- prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah; sufferings and death of Christ; and the resurrection. The Dresdner Kreuzchor (Choir of the Church of the Holy Cross) was established in 1206 and is regarded as one of the world's most professional choirs. The choir, comprising about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden, will be performing in Taipei for the first time Wednesday. Tokyo-born soprano Maki Mori, Dutch mezzo soprano Margriet van Reisen, German tenor Andreas Weller, and German bass Klaus Mertens will also perform. The Messiah will be sung in English under the baton of Roderich Kreile. It will run for two hours and 40 minutes at Taipei's National Concert Hall. Kreile said at a press conference in Taipei Tuesday that he knows Asian audiences are very fond of European music, and that it was embarrassing that European people are not particularly into Asian music. 'But I guess the acceptance of Western music explains why China is a country with such a long and proud history,' he said. When asked by reporters how he manages to stay focused during the 160-minute performance, he said 'if you've conducted The St Matthew Passion of Bach, you would not find the Messiah to be that difficult at all.' The St. Matthew Passion runs for three hours in its entirety. 