Theodora (selections)

Both before and after the period of the Coronation Anthems, Handel considered himself primarily an opera composer. Opera could be big business; changing fashions meant that Handel was continually at the mercy of box office receipts. At one time, Italian opera thrived. Later, London audiences cooled to such tempestuous foreign imports and coveted dramatic music sung in English. Handel obliged, creating a body of oratorios on sacred subjects. Near the end of his career, Handel penned Theodora (1749) about a Christian martyr and her converted lover, the Roman soldier Didymus. Strangely, the general public was not impressed, although certain informed listeners found Theodora to be among Handel’s best creations. The composer himself rated it very highly.
The brilliant tenor aria “Dread the Fruits of Christian Folly” occurs near the beginning of Act I, Scene 5 in a spirit of uncontrolled jubilation. Speaking from a position of power, the Roman Septimius arrives among the Christians to announce the official decree and arrest those who do not offer sacrifice to the pagan goddess of love. In athletic melismas and dramatic leaps, Septimius cajoles the stubborn faithful in tones of the most compelling coloratura—but his admonitions are bootless. By contrast, “Angels Ever Bright” opens with a subdued theme for strings. The rhythm, which is reinforced by the voice at its entrance, is slow and doleful. Handel uses subtle devices such as canonic imitation between the violins to suggest motion moving ever forward, a surfeit of emotional energy, albeit at a slower rhythm. Theodora has just been ordered to serve as a prostitute in the pagan temple of Venus. She sings this air sounding almost peaceful and resigned, yet imploring Heaven for a miraculous rescue from her situation.

(c) Jason Stell