Theodora - G. F. Handel - final Aria, Duo, Recitative and Chorus 

Handel's finest oratorio, and a reminder of the glorious Lorraine Hunt. RIP.

After being exposed to an episode of "Jersey Shore", I needed to hear a work like this to make me proud of the accomplishments of Western civilization once again. Thanks for the video and many, many thanks to Handel.

Beautiful, heartbreaking. Incomparable music, perfect singing, inspired stage-setting.

I'll be the odd one out - I was enraptured by the staging of this video and had to immediately go find the full production which I loved. Then again, I love Sellars' work in John Adams' operas so it's no real surprise.

Bellísimo y magistral coro final de Teodora de el que fue rey de los coros. Es realmente apoteosico,solemne y magistral junto con el Mesías. Creo y me parece, que nadie lo igualó en este sentido ni ningún otro. Gloria a el que compuso semejantes acordes de harmonía y bendiciones. Jorge Federico Hendel . Creo que estarás en el cielo junto a Dios y sus ángeles virgen María y santos. Aleluya, aleluya, aleluya.

Such a shame I can only like this once,,, utterly sublime

Ríos de placer, siempre fluyendo, frutos de ambrosía siempre creciendo, tronos de oro, coronas de estrellas, son los triunfos de los benditos; cuando libres de las penas de la vida, investidos de inmortalidad, disfrutan de duradero descanso. Así, que nuestros corazones asciendan, objetos puros hechos de puro deseo, siempre creciente, siempre placentero, alzando el canto y entonando la lira, en un maravilloso coro celestial.

The lyrics and the “lethal injection” setup for this oratorio are rather macabre. “Streams of pleasure ever flowing”. 👀. But a beautiful vocal interpretation of the Air/Duet. Just in case anyone isn’t aware, in the original libretto, Didymus and Theodora are entombed in a cave and a large stone is rolled in front of the entrance and the two are left to starve to death presumably.

Une musique merveilleuse et une interprétation inspirée !

Astoundin',Breathless.!!!!!!!

tearjerking, voices, acting ánd direction, distant difficult at first but mindblowing magnificent in the end, will always be precious to me.

what an ability to be able to sing such beautiful countertenor lying semi recumbent!

Rios de prazer sempre fluindo frutos de ambrosia sempre crescendo tronos de ouro, coroas de estrelas são os trunfos dos benditos quando livres das penas da vida investidos da importalidade desfrutam o derradeiro descanso Que os nossos corações assim ascendam objectos puros, feitos de puro desejo sempre crescente, sempre prazenteiro elevando o canto e entoando a lira num maravilhoso coro celestial

Heavenly!

this is magically painful....... beyond on my imagination absolute beauty on the wordsand combine the pain of love

Unbearably beautiful interpretation set alongside a production which updates the trappings of an oppressive regime with point and devasting effect. Handel's dramatic and musical experience flows free into the modern age.

Saw a lovely semi staged performance in Crickhowell church on May 1st 2016, music no more beautiful but not ruined by the staging, as in Christie's version. Fancy asking a singer to do "As with rosy steps" with her hands over her face! Mad.

Ce duo final ressemble à une scène de crucifixion de Primitif flamand... c'est profondément émouvant. Sans parler de la puissance de la musique et du chant ! Un de mes meilleurs souvenirs lyriques

Liz Kenny is a remarkable Theorbo player. She breaths this repertoire.

Wow!

Have you seen the whole production - I saw it at Milton Keynes Theatre when Glynbourne toured the UK with it and the whole thing is a commentary on contemporary US culture and this is one of the great ways of dealing with the long death arias of Baroque oratorios and the idea of the lethal injection is brilliant - especially with the table shape.

IM LOVING LOVING IT..........ITS IMAGINATIVE

Salzburg 2012 Giulio Cesare was the same. Silly staging but musically par excellence. This is my favourite Theodora despite the staging.

Fortunately, Haendel and these artists are wonderful and genius of sensivity, and that sordid staging finally put them in value.

Divine David, divine Lorraine, divine choir , divine Theodora.......so intense beautiful

❤💮🍒🍓💐🍋🇻🇦✝️🇻🇦🍋💐🍓💮❤✒📃📚🍒⛑💐🌸🌿🇲🇬🫂🇲🇬💮❤😊🎶🧸🌿😇🌸🎶🍋🇻🇦🍋🌼🌻✒📃📚🪅🥰🌺🍓💮🍒🌿🌸❤🇻🇦🍋🌼🌻✝️🌻⛑🪅🙋‍♂️

I have this DVD. It is brilliant and moving. Given that it is an oratorio, some leeway in its staging is appropriate.

@bit391 yes, they are. im guessing the way their seats are made to look like crosses, they are really suppose to be crucified in the original libretto.

Mise en scène à la con

i don't know why... but i love the scenery, because the "old story" happened just here in our era.

I don't get it. They are being executed by SAC and F-14 Tomcat pilots.

bellissima musica, come sempre in Handel ma assurde quelle scene moderne, che c'entrano??

Les mots m'échappent!

@codonauta hahaha yeah i know! sometimes i get so ridiculous! =P

DIEU🌺🇻🇦✝️🇻🇦🌺 ACCUEILLEZ DÉSORMAIS DANS VOTRE PARADIS🥰🪅🍓💮 L'ÂME IMMENSÉMENT CHRÉTIENNE🇲🇬🫂🇲🇬 DE MONSIEUR DE HAENDEL ❤💐🍋🇻🇦✝️🇻🇦🍋💐💒❤🦁🌸✒📃📚🍒🌿🎶🙋‍♂️!!!

Enfin !..pas de simagrées psychologisantes dans le jeu des comédiens ni de gesticulations inutiles; mise en scène concentrée au service de cette musique splendide.

Impressive performance. The execution is far more dramatic because nowadays people are still executed this way... And we think we are far more civilized than emperor Diocletian...

sick and safistic

@frodenberg =) though I admit, that would be interesting anyway to see, I mean their expressions are so intense and the emotion in palpable, especially within the chorus this is by far my favourite interpretation

???????

their expressions are so beautiful, so telling... they could be dressed in potato sacks, it would still be marvelous!

great...but why are singers executed???

Pobre Haendel.1

oh dear, the staging is rather absurd isn't it, even the libretto is of it's time but this exacerbates the ridiculousness of it. Good job the musicality is exquisite :)

I especially liked the bit where James Bond is so close to, in fact seconds away from being cut in two and killed by the villain's circular saw or death laser but he isn't. So moving and attentive to Ian Fleming's original score and stage directions.

@sslohier in potato sacks? kkkkkk :)

My granddaughter (9 years old) has already told me and my daugnter that we are not up to date about today's fashions. But my grandmother, who was Spanish, would not have hesitated in calling this "un engendro del demonio". But I wouldn't apply it to the music, of course. (Sorry, the usual translations of "engendro" don't convey the feeling a Spanish speaker gives to the word).

@sslohier if only they were dressed in potato sacks...

Inscenizacja słaba, ale muzyka, śpiew, wykonawstwo najwyższej próby.

Sellars is great, and you didn't understand nothing !!

@achantus1 :) , I agree with you. Non sense the scenery and dressing.

hi yeah what the fuck is happening here

Fabulous singing, but I am distinctly underwhelmed by the appalling staging!

I guess my tolerance for creative interpretation has finally reached a limit.

J'adore la musique de Haendel, mais pas ce genre de mise en scène, complètement anachronique

and having actually looked into this... i am usually all for modernising opera and operetta, because i think it helps the audience to understand the themes better without getting bogged down in period details. but shows like this, rather than simplifying the score for modern audiences, just confuse because they feel the need to show off "look how original we are!"

The production was on TV many years ago - I have never forgotton it - Peter Sellars did his best to destroy the beauty of the music and the story but happily without success. I just switched off in my mind the trashy staging and concentrated on the exquisiteness of the music. Although I was quite impressed by the hand balleet at some point. I have never seen a Peter Sellars production that I have considered to be worth the effort of watching - how did this fool get a job.

Great music; staging ridiculous, and pervers.

Ridicule mise en scène de peter sellars. Heureusement la musique est là car la mise en scène suscite peu d'émotion.

The need to update the scene to a contemporary execution is so cliché. It's been done to death with Shakespeare. One would hope that Handel could be spared the indignity.

The singing and the orchestral parts are beautifuland sensitive. Peter Sellars' setting is a downer. Having the two principals separated from each other, stationary, and strapped to couches is downright bizarre. Nonetheless, the music saves it...

Great performance. Embarrassing staging.

Another beautiful, classical work ruined by demented designers. I can't imagine what must go through their heads. Utter nonsense. Wonderful singing. This set is an insult to them and Handel. Maybe boycott by singers and audience can bring sanity back.

Stop treating oratorios into operas.

Что за БРЕД, Гендель в гробу перевернулся