FROGS, flies, lice and locusts will descend on York Minster on April 1, and no, this is not an April Fool's Day prank.

Instead, they will play their part in the story of the Israelites’ escape from servitude in Egypt, told that evening by York Musical Society in tandem with the 90-strong Saint Michael’s Singers from Coventry Cathedral.

The two choirs will be joining forces for a 7.30pm performance of Handel’s mighty oratorio Israel In Egypt, wherein the thrilling music conveys the journey's chaotic path, not least the parting of the Red Sea. "It's considered to be Handel’s most ambitious work," says YMS conductor David Pipe. "With its huge choruses – often scored for eight parts – and six soloists, it does justice to a well-known and dramatic story.

Drawn mainly from the Bible's Old Testament texts of Exodus and the Psalms, the 280-year-old work tells how Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt after God sent frogs, flies, lice, locusts, hailstones and darkness; turned water into blood and killed cattle and all the Egyptians’ first-born children to force the Egyptians to let them go.

While Handel’s Messiah may be his best-known work, his other operas and oratorios, such as Israel In Egypt, brought him huge popularity during his lifetime. By 1857, a Handel Festival became a regular event and ensured that his work remained part of the national music scene, as it still is. The 1857 Handel Festival had a choir of 2,000 and an orchestra of 40; Israel In Egypt had its own dedicated day during the event.

Saint Michael’s Singers last sang with York Musical Society in November 2014 when they presented Verdi’s Requiem at York Minster and Coventry Cathedral. This time, they will perform with soprano soloists Ruth Holton and Julie Cooper, countertenor Nicholas Hariades, tenor Nathan Vale and baritones Richard Bannan and Jonathan Sells.

Conductor David Pipe is the director of the organist training programme and cathedral organist for the Diocese of Leeds. He was formerly assistant director of music at York Minster.

Tickets for April 1 are available from the York Theatre Royal box office on 01904 623568, at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or in person; or at yorkminster.org or on the door. Prices are £5 to £20 plus concessions.