Theodora - Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Subtitled) (DVD)

...leading to the composition of Theodora in 1749. Oratorios have a similar form to opera but they were intended to be performed "straight" i.e. in concert and not staged as a theatrical experience, as religious stories were not permitted to be performed in the opera house in Britain at this time. This had advantages for Handel in that it was also cheaper with no costumes or scenery required. But in recent years with the resurgence of interest ...
...Roman Empire. Christian virgin Theodora (sung by Dawn Upshaw, soprano) is in trouble with the President of Antioch - Valens - (Frode Olsen, bass) because she has refused to burn incense to the pagan Roman gods in celebration of the Emperor's birthday. Her fervent admirer, Roman soldier Didymus (David Daniels, counter-tenor) is sent with his centurion colleague Septimius (Richard Croft, tenor) to arrest her, and while they pursue the Christians, who ... more

Introduction and Background:

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) could be aptly described as an 18th century combination of Simon Cowell and Andrew Lloyd Webber when it came to his musical influence, impresario skills, public persona and professional profile in London from 1712 til the end of his life. As well as composing and organising concerts, he ran an opera house - choosing the best singers in Europe and being notorious for his strict ways - even throwing a soprano out a window when she didn't work hard enough! Having already enjoyed a highly successful career on the Continent, his relocation to London saw him become a respected and sought after member of society, enjoying the patronage of King George I and other British aristocrats and developing a huge following amongst the concertgoers of the thriving London music scene at the time.

However, then as now, classical music was a pretty risky financial business so when he and his opera house went bankrupt, Handel decided instead to turn to writing oratorios instead of operas - leading to the composition of Theodora in 1749. Oratorios have a similar form to opera but they were intended to be performed "straight" i.e. in concert and not staged as a theatrical experience, as religious stories were not permitted to be performed in the opera house in Britain at this time. This had advantages for Handel in that it was also cheaper with no costumes or scenery required. But in recent years with the resurgence of interest in Handel's music and the realisation of the dramatic potential of this music, many producers have produced operatic stagings of his oratorios, including this production by Peter Sellars of Theodora, which was first seen at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1996.

Plot of Theodora:

It's the 4th Century in Antioch, part of the Roman Empire. Christian virgin Theodora (sung by Dawn Upshaw, soprano) is in trouble with the President of Antioch - Valens - (Frode Olsen, bass) because she has refused to burn incense to the pagan Roman gods in celebration of the Emperor's birthday. Her fervent admirer, Roman soldier Didymus (David Daniels, counter-tenor) is sent with his centurion colleague Septimius (Richard Croft, tenor) to arrest her, and while they pursue the Christians, who are led by Irene - a character who also comments on the action throughout the oratorio (sung by mezzo Lorraine Hunt Lieberson), Septimius confides to Didymus that he has strong sympathies for their plight and is torn between his loyalty to his duties and his friend.

Theodora is arrested and appears before Valens who orders her to be taken to what he describes as "that vile place" and to surrender her innocence to any man who wishes to have his evil way with her... For Theodora, to be assaulted in this way is worse than death, However, Didymus appears and with the help of Septimius swaps places with Theodora in the cell, so when the potential rapists appear the next morning they find him there instead of her.

Didymus is sentenced to death by Valens, but as he is about to be executed by his distraught friend Septimius, Theodora appears and begs that he be saved, or that she can join him in death...

Will Valens show compassion? Will they both die? Well, I'm not going to reveal the final part of the plot here for reasons I will explain below!

Production:

This is a truely amazing and moving production by Peter Sellars the American punk-haired maverick and "enfant terrible" of opera producers. In typical style he sets the opera in modern dress in the 20th century, with the vivid implication that Valens is an American President and the Christians perhaps some kind of persecuted minority religious group whilst the pagans are mainstream, ordinary Americans. When I first saw this production, this staging gave the plot an immediacy and impact that was hard to beat. Seeing Didymus and Septimius in army combat gear, with machine guns, and Valens' supporters laden with the detritus of USA life such as coke cans, burgers etc as they attend a presidential style press conference by the slickly suited, smarmy Valens to announce the persecution of Theodora and her fellow Christians.really boosts the drama of the piece and gives added poignancy and urgency. It makes this 18th century music so contemporary, bringing a relevance which in my opinion opens it up to a much wider possible audience...

Cleverly Sellars uses images of large cracked and broken glass Roman bottles as a background to the sparse sets (cracked to signify the evil nature of the regime?) - which when the lighting dims become stunning silhouettes of American skyscrapers, thus combining the -time-setting of the original story with his interpretation. In my opinion the limited props and scenery on stage only serve to highlight the complex personal relationships and inner turmoil of the characters, nothing is there to get in the way. For example when Theodora is imprisoned in her cell, its walls are depicted only by a lit square on the ground. You can tell that it is not just a physical barrier that is hemming her in, it's a mental one too - and so her aria longing for freedom yet to save her purity packs an even harder emotional punch.

In baroque opera and dance of Handel's day, there would be very complex choreographed movements to depict emotions in the text. Sellars brings this into his production by having the solo singers and chorus make simultaneous complicated hand gestures at times to underline the feelings and things they are singing about - i.e. a gesture from the heart at the word "love". I guess it is a kind of emotional semaphore. Initially, I thought it was a rather twee idea which distracted from the music, yet as the oratorio went on, it made more and more sense in the way it emphasised both the meaning of the words AND the mental state of not only the main characters but the chorus too...

Needless to say, being Glyndebourne, this is a production where the singers are just as good at acting as they are at singing. In particular the much lamented late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson is absolutely heart-rending in her commentary on Theodora's chosen fate. Whilst the high counter tenor voice of David Daniels may take some getting used to if you are not used to that sound, his on-stage interaction with Dawn Upshaw is one of the tear-jerking moments of the DVD. Handel writes some very virtuoso music for his singers and for me, this is vocalism of the very highest level.

Sellars was involved in the actual film production of the DVD and it does show, with a real sense of when the full-shot of the stage is needed and when one needs to home in on a particular singer. Singing is not a particularly cinematic thing to watch and personally, I think this DVD captures the balance perfectly between not staring at someone's tonsils, yet seizing the dramatic tension of intimate interaction between the singers which we can easily lose in a vast opera house auditorium.

This piece is packed with stunning, beautiful music, with the singers accompanied by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducted by William Christie. The orchestra plays on instruments as they would have been in Handel's day, using the techniques from that period as well. It's a much leaner, clearer sound than a modern orchestra and works brilliantly. Christie paces the oratorio perfectly so that the dramatic tension is racked up throughout. However, for those people not used to Handel's vocal music - I'd definitely recommend taking a break at the end of each act. The sound quality of the DVD is fantastic, great clarity and a good dynamic range.

What about that ending?

The way in which Sellars deals with the ending of Theodora is probably the most spine-chillingly effective coup de théâtre that I've seen. To reveal it here would ruin the experience of watching this DVD, but suffice it to say that if you think of the American methods of administering the death penalty and their awful "will we, won't we" last minute reprieve situations.... well.... all I will say is that the visual and dramatic imagery had people stunned at the performances and it sure has that effect on the DVD production.

There aren't any extras on the DVD, which is a shame as Sellars would have made a good interview on his ideas surrounding this production concept which would have helped people not familiar with this repertoire to get into it quicker. However, there are subtitles in English (which I recommend using to help keep up with the plot.) Obviously because I rented this, I didn't get the booklet with it, but I know from experience that the Glyndebourne Production DVD booklets tend to have a lot of great background and are an interesting and useful pre-view read.

Anyway, this is a DVD which I really strongly recommend you rent if you are new to Handel oratorios and want to give it a whirl, or buy if you're already a fan. 

...less