Handel: Theodora

The oratorio Theodora was first performed at the Covent Garden Theatre on 16 March 1750 and clearly took Londoners by surprise. Handel had, after all, made a one hundred and eighty degree turn in his choice of subject. The grandiose episodes of the Old Testament, the glorious struggles of Solomon, Saul or Judas Maccabaeus are no more: the young martyr Theodora leads neither a community nor troops into battle. In a work far removed from the grand spectacle of biblical oratorios, Handel invites us to witness the poignant tale of a personal drama, a drama of the beginnings of Christianity fuelled by conscience, faith, and the heartbreak that they cause.

Cast:
Theodora: Sophie Junker (soprano)
Irene: Dara Savinova (mezzo-soprano)
Didymus: Christopher Lowrey (countertenor)
Septimius: Matthew Newlin (tenor)
Messenger: Frederico Projecto (tenor)
Valens: Andreas Wolf (bass)