Theodora

by George Frideric Handel, libretto by Thomas Morrell
Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Australia, City Recital Hall, Angel Place, 30 November – 6 December 2016

“Seraphic beauty fit for the choirs of angels” Peter McCallum, Sydney Morning Herald

Director: Lindy Hume
Conductor: Erin Helyard
Designer: Dan Potra
Lighting Designer: Matthew Marshall
Assistant Director: Sally Blackwood
Assistant Conductor: Keiren Brandt-Sawdy

Theodora: Valda Wilson
Irene: Caitlin Hulcup
Didymus: Christopher Lowrey
Septimius: Ed Lyon
Valens: Andrew Collis

Chorus: Cantillation
Orchestra of the Antipodes

Handel’s second last oratorio and favourite work, Theodora has come to be recognised in the last twenty years as Handel’s masterpiece. A succession of the most beautiful arias and choruses, Theodora is a profoundly moving experience. Theodora is a tale from ancient Rome that speaks to our hearts, here and now. Innocence, love, faith and courage bloom strong and full of promise, only to be struck down by blind hatred and the thirst for power.

Photo credit: © Robert Catto