To stage or not to stage: that is the question. So many of Handel’s oratorios are infused with drama that there is no good reason why they shouldn’t be staged, as Glyndebourne discovered in 1996 with its revelatory Theodora.
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| Fragile fibre: Christine Schäfer |
Christof Loy’s staging does not try to turn Theodora into an opera. It’s more a scenic action, commenting on the narrative, its spiritual intent and musical construction. The atmosphere of the piece, at once baroque and sacred, is echoed in Annette Kurz’s stunning design, an omnipresent organ that dwarfs the actors and comes to life in the instrumental music of the third part. The story is dressed in a modern uniform (Ursula Renzenbrink) of dark suits and frocks – except for Theodora, whose change from white to red reflects her tortuous journey of the soul. Loy makes light of the Grosses Festspielhaus’s notoriously awkward stage, exploiting its vastness in a series of powerfully choreographed choral tableaux while showcasing arias and duets in glorious isolation. Very severe, very daring, and not something I would want to repeat – but a dignified response to the work’s austere, voluptuous beauty.
And yes, it’s Handel’s music, a product of late maturity, that ultimately determines one’s enjoyment of a work that avoids spectacular flights and fancies but shines with inner radiance. Ivor Bolton, conducting the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, keeps the music flowing swiftly if not always expressively.
And yet you can’t help admiring the care with which the musical performance has been prepared, especially the way it exploits antiphonally the richness and diction of the Salzburg Bach Choir. Christine Schäfer’s Theodora combines fragility and fibre. Bejun Mehta is the lightweight but refined Didymus, and there is excellent support from Johannes Martin Kränzle, Joseph Kaiser, Bernarda Fink and Ryland Davies. ★★★★☆
