Handel's Theodora

Handel loved Theodora more than any of his other oratorios, and with Iestyn Davies singing in this concert staging with the Monteverdi Choir, you’re about to hear why.

Would you die for faith – or for love? As the Roman authorities crack down on dissident Christians, the virtuous Theodora faces a brutal fate. Her devoted Didymus, meanwhile, must choose between the state, and both their souls. Handel rated his oratorio Theodora more highly than the Messiah, and this heartfelt tale of persecution and martyrdom has often been put on stage. For Christophe Rousset and The Monteverdi Choir it’s a masterpiece, and with a cast that stars Iestyn Davies as Didymus, this dramatised concert performance brings the best of both worlds to a work that Handel himself regarded as his favourite.

Programme:
Handel Theodora

Performers:
Marie Lys Theodora
Alice Coote Irene
Iestyn Davies Didymus
Hugo Hymas Septimius
John Chest Valens
Jonathan Hanley Messenger
Tom Guthrie director
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Christophe Rousset conductor