Georg Friedrich HANDEL (1685-1759)
Theodora HWV 68
Johanette Zomer, soprano
Syste Buwalda, alto
Helena Rasker, mezzo-soprano
Knut Schoch, tenor
Tom Sol, bass
Marco Schweizer, tenor
Kölner Kammerchor - Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann
Rec: Live recording, February 6, 2000, Stadthalle, Wuppertal, Germany.
MDG 332 1019-2 [2 CDs 165.56]
Written in the summer of 1749, Theodora was premiered
in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 16 March 1750. This work, which
Handel considered his finest oratorio, was a failure at first - Handel
said bitterly that the hall was so empty that "there was room enough
to dance there." Part of this failure could be explained by the
earthquake that hit London in February of the same year and caused the
upper classes to flee the city, but another possibility is that the
subject matter of the oratorio - the rebellion of a woman against the
power of the state - was a bit ahead of its time.
Theodora was the only oratorio that Handel specifically
scored for a castrato - the role of Didymus. In this recording, this
part is sung by Syste Buwalda, who is not in his best form. (This singer
has performed in many Bach cantatas recorded by Jan Pieter Leusink,
and is more often than not out of form.) He seems to be rehearsing rather
than truly singing. Theodora contains a great many choral movements,
more than many of Handel’s other oratorios. As in all of Peter Neumann’s
recordings of Handel’s works, the choir is excellent; neither too heavy
nor too distant, and with excellently clear articulation. This is, in
part, due to the usual high recording quality of these works, but also
due to the simply excellent choir.
Tenor Knut Schoch is excellent in the role of Septimus,
and his performance of the long aria Descend, kind Pity, heavenly
Guest, is very good. Singing in a very laid-back style, he fits
this music ideally. Mezzo soprano Helena Rasker is magnificent. Her
beautiful voice flows with the music, and she injects a great deal of
feeling into her singing. One of her best performances is the slow aria
As with rosy steps the Morn in Act I. A bit less vibrato would
be perfect, but she is indeed a fine singer. Soprano Johanette Zomer,
singing the role of Theodora, has another fine voice, and, like most
of the soloists in this work, stands out in one of Handel’s signature
slow, flowing arias. In this case, it is With Darkness, deep
as is my woe in Act II. Zomer’s voice is liquid and pure, and her
dynamics with the gentle accompaniment are magnificent. This aria is
part of a six-part section of this work, which includes two recitatives
and arias, and two brief sinfonias (the only instrumental sections other
than the three-movement overture). These six sections appear at approximately
the centre of the work, and constitute a beautiful miniature act, full
of tension and drama, with Theodora in the spotlight.
This is a truly satisfying recording, allying some
excellent soloists with the fine orchestra and choir with which listeners
are familiar from Peter Neumann’s other recordings. This oratorio contains
some of Handel’s finest music, and this is one of its best recordings.
Kirk McElhearn
Kölner Kammerchor
- Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann 
