Handel - Theodora / Peter Sellars A William Christie A Upshaw, Hunt, Daniels, Croft A Glyndebourne Opera
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Features
• Classical
• Color
• NTSC
In Theaters : 30 November, 1999
DVD Release : 29 June, 2004 |
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Handel - Theodora / Peter Sellars A William Christie A Upshaw, Hunt, Daniels, Croft A Glyndebourne Opera description
After an overture played on baroque period instruments, this opera about the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire opens with a televised press conference by the business-suited Roman governor of Antioch. This paradox epitomizes a bold and spectacularly successful interpretation that merges modern visuals with 18th-century music performed in period style. The music (glorious, vintage Handel) is entrusted to William Christie, one of the most respected living conductors of early music. His phenomenal cast is musically and theatrically right on target. The staging, by Peter Sellars, has Roman legionaries garbed as a SWAT team with automatic weapons. The Roman governor is a totally political animal with a drinking problem. Dawn Upshaw and the amazing David Daniels, Christian victims, are executed not in a pit of lions but strapped to tables for lethal injections. This treatment not only gives dramatic impact to music that began life as an oratorio; it universalizes the subject into an indictment of any government that persecutes minorities. --Joe McLellan |
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Handel - Theodora / Peter Sellars A William Christie A Upshaw, Hunt, Daniels, Croft A Glyndebourne Opera Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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Astounding Theodora
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Those who have provided some very negative critiques, based solely on the staging might do well to remember that this English oratorio, performed three or so times during Handel's lifetime, was never intended for staged performance. So, Peter Sellars has created a brilliant analogy with issues that we all currently face. Tolerance in the face of differing beliefs, more than proselytism, seems to fuel Sellar's powerful take on martyrdom. The choreographed gestures, not so dreadfully unrelated to the codified gestures that made up 17th and 18th century theater and oratory technique are riveting. The minimalist set, five Roman tear bottles (human-sized, of course) are wonderfully lit.
On to the singing. Here, we are in the realm of the finest Handel ever committed to recorded form. Dawn Upshaw, in the title role, can seem rather mannered vocally (a bit of Broadway creeps in now and again), but is admirably engaged and moving. David Daniels is beyond any reasonable doubt the finest counter-tenor in the relatively brief history of the art. His breath control is one of the finest of any singer today, and the sheer, silvery beauty of the voice in all of its registers should convert (bad choice of words?) any doubters. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson packs an emotional wallop that will not soon be forgotten. Her incarnation of this early Christian Church leader is amoungst he most fully inhabited performances ever to be seen from an operatic performer. Her voice is astoundingly powerful, yet agile. As certain online critics have rightly said, Richard Croft is beyond wonderful as the non-believing, but righteous, soldier, Septimius. The purity of his voice brings tears to my eyes. His version of "From Virtue Springs" is the finest thing I have ever heard from a Handelian tenor. Dramatically, his intensity is nearly painful. Finally, Frode Olsen makes a dandy basso-villain, and manages tto bring just the right glimmer of menace, with a small touch of humanity shining through.
I do wish that the tracking would follow the pieces in the work. That is a fairly minor complaint, as this is a beautifully filmed production. Highly recommended... |
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Handel - Theodora / Peter Sellars A William Christie A Upshaw, Hunt, Daniels, Croft A Glyndebourne Opera dvd movie.