Handel: Jephtha

Joyce DiDonato and Michael Spyres star in Handel’s Jephtha – the composer's valedictory oratorio.

This work bears the marks of the illness that afflicted Handel while he was composing it, but which did not undermine his faith. 'Whatever is, is right' sings the chorus.

Handel’s conviction and energy appear unshakeable. The original score bears the marks of the musician’s pain: ‘Arrived here on Wednesday 13 February. Couldn’t continue because of my left eye.' A little later, on 23 February, he writes: 'feeling slightly better, Have resumed work'. These words are reflected in his music. Joyce DiDonato will in turn embody this painful journey as one of the world’s finest opera singers, earning particular praise for her interpretations of Baroque music: ‘definitive … hair-raising intimacy and softness’ (OperaBase).

Francesco Corti (conductor)
Michael Spyres (Jephtha)
Joyce DiDonato (Storge)
Mélissa Petit (Ipihis)