Theodora - Glyndebourne Festival Opera Details

possibly the best Handel production ever

Superb singing and playing - but it is the intense and deeply emotional staging that makes this production so outstanding. A must-see for any who likes Handel, and especially for anyone who thinks baroque opera is dull or uninvolving.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Would Handel have approved

I cannot believe that Handel would have approved of this staging of his oratorio. After all the story is about the Romans of the 4th Century and their opression of the christians. The Roman officer Didymus sings about his sword whilst yielding a machine gun, which is rather ridiculous. Having said that you will realise that I prefer operas etc.to be performed as the composer intended. Otherwise I agree that the performers were excellent, and Handel's music was played perfectly by the orchestra. Here again was an anomaly, why use an orchestra using instruments from Handel's time and modernise the production. Is it solely to reduce costs on costumes and scenery? It would certainly have merited 5 stars had it not been for a 4th century story being brought up to this one, even to the extent of death by lethal injection. Recommend but close your eyes.