Handel: Theodora Millenium Orchestra, Chœur de Chambre de Namur & Leonardo García-Alarcón

• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1:
• 1 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 1, Ouverture 02:51
• 2 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 2, Recitative. 'tis Dioclesian's Natal Day (Valens) 00:33
• 3 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 3, Air. Go, My Faithful Soldier (Valens) 01:53
• 4 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 4, Chorus of Heathens. And Draw a Blessing Down 02:05
• 5 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 5, Recitative. Vouchsafe, Dread Sir, a Gracious Ear (Didymus, Valens) 01:01
• 6 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 6, Air. Racks, Gibbets, Sword and Fire (Valens) 03:03
• 7 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 7, Chorus of Heathens. For Ever Thus Stands Fix'd the Doom 01:35
• 8 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 8, Recitative. Most Cruel Edict! (Didymus) 00:34
• 9 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 9, Air. The Raptur'd Soul Defies the Sword (Didymus) 09:16
• 10 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 10, Recitative. I Know Thy Virtues, and Ask Not Thy Faith (Septimius) 00:55
• 11 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 11, Air. Descend, Kind Pity, Heav'nly Guest (Septimius) 07:54
• 12 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 12, Recitative. Though Hard, My Friends (Theodora) 00:28
• 13 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 13, Air. Fond, Flatt'ring World, Adieu! (Theodora) 04:22
• 14 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 14, Recitative. O Bright Example of All Goodness! (Irene) 00:29
• 15 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 15, Chorus of Christians. Come, Mighty Father, Mighty Lord 02:27
• 16 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 16, Recitative. Fly, Fly, My Brethren, Heathen Rage Pursues Us Swift (Messenger, Irene) 00:57
• 17 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 17, Air. As With Rosy Steps the Morn (Irene) 06:28
• 18 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 18, Chorus of Christians. All Pow'r in Heav'n Above or Earth Beneath 02:20
• 19 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 19, Recitative. Mistaken Wretches! (Septimius) 00:24
• 20 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 20, Air. Dread the Fruits of Christian Folly (Septimius) 02:45
• 21 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 21, Recitative. Deluded Mortal! (Theodora, Septimius) 01:01
• 22 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 22, Accompagnato. Oh, Worse than Death Indeed! (Theodora) 00:21
• 23 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 23, Air. Angels, Ever Bright and Fair (Theodora) 02:36
• 24 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 24, Recitative. Unhappy, Happy Crew! (Didymus, Irene) 01:11
• 25 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 25, Air. Kind Heav'n, If Virtue Be Thy Care (Didymus) 05:35
• 26 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 26, Recitative. O Love, How Great Thy Pow'r! (Irene) 00:25
• 27 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 1: No. 27, Chorus of Christians. Go, Gen'rous, Pious Youth 04:04
• Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2:
• 28 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 1, Recitative. Ye Men of Antioch, with Solemn Pomp (Valens) 00:40
• 29 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 2, Chorus of Haethens. Queen of Summer, Queen of Love 01:06
• 30 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 3, Air. Wide Spread His Name (Valens) 02:03
• 31 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 4, Recitative. Return, Septimius, to the Stubborn Maid (Valens) 00:42
• 32 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 5, Chorus of Haethens. Venus Laughing from the Skies 01:12
• 33 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 6, Sinfonia (Largo) 00:40
• 34 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 7, Recitative. O Thou Bright Sun! (Theodora) 00:39
• 35 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 8, Air. With Darkness Deep, as Is My Woe (Theodora) 03:47
• 36 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 9, Air 01:00
• 37 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 10, Recitative. But Why Art Thou Disquieted, My Soul? (Theodora) 00:32
• 38 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 11, Air. Oh, That I on Wings Could Rise (Theodora) 03:14
• 39 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 12, Recitative. Long Have I Known Thy Friendly Social Soul (Didymus, Septimius) 01:17
• 40 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 13, Air. Though the Honours That Flora and Venus Receive (Septimius) 03:22
• 41 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 14, Recitative. Oh, Save Her Then (Didymus, Septimius) 00:44
• 42 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 15, Air. Deeds of Kindness to Display (Didymus) 08:55
• 43 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 16, Recitative. The Clouds Begin to Veil the Hemisphere (Irene) 00:36
• 44 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 17, Air. Defend Her, Heav'n! (Irene) 05:25
• 45 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 18, Recitative. Or Lull'd with Grief, or Rapt Her Soul to Heav'n (Didymus) 00:28
• 46 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 19, Air. Sweet Rose and Lily, Flow'ry Form (Didymus) 02:33
• 47 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 20, Recitative. Oh, Save Me, Heav'n, in This My Perilous Hour! (Theodora, Didymus) 01:33
• 48 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 21, Air. The Pilgrim's Home, the Sick Man's He (Theodora) 03:20
• 49 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 22, Accompagnato. Forbid It, Heav'n! (Didymus) 00:29
• 50 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 23, Recitative. Or Say, What Right Have I (Didymus, Theodora) 01:51
• 51 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 24, Duett. To Thee, Thou Glorious Son of Worth (Theodora, Didymus) 05:21
• 52 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 25, Recitative. 'Tis Night, but Night's Sweet Blessing Is Denied (Irene) 00:57
• 53 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 2: No. 26, Chorus of Christians. He Saw the Lovely Youth, Death's Early Prey 03:59
• Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3:
• 54 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 1, Air. Lord, to Thee Each Night and Day (Irene) 06:17
• 55 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 2, Recitative. But See, the Good, the Virtuous Didymus! (Irene, Theodora) 00:44
• 56 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 3, Air. When Sunk in Anguish and Despair (Theodora) 03:32
• 57 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 4, Solo and Chorus. Blest Be the Hand, and Blest the Pow'r (Christians, Theodora) 03:19
• 58 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 5, Recitative. Undaunted in the Court Stands Didymus (Messenger, Irene) 00:50
• 59 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 6, Accompagnato. O My Irene, Heav'n Is Kind (Theodora) 00:32
• 60 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 7, Recitative. Stay Me Not, Dear Friend (Theodora) 00:13
• 61 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 8, Duet. Whither, Princess, Do You Fly (Irene, Theodora) 01:13
• 62 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 9, Recitative. She's Gone, Disdaining Liberty and Life (Irene) 00:31
• 63 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 10, Air. New Scenes of Joy Come Crowding On (Irene) 04:16
• 64 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 11, Recitative. Is It a Christian Virtue Then (Valens, Didymus) 01:10
• 65 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 12, Recitative. Be That My Doom. You May Inflict It Here (Theodora, Septimius) 00:59
• 66 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 13, Air. Cease, Ye Slaves, Your Fruitless Pray'r! (Valens) 01:01
• 67 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 14, Recitative. 'Tis Kind, My Friends, but Kinder Still (Didymus, Theodora) 01:08
• 68 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 15, Chorus of Heathens. How Strange Their Ends 02:44
• 69 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 16, Recitative. On Me Your Frowns, Your Utmost Rage Exert (Didymus, Theodora, Valens) 00:35
• 70 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 17, Air. Ye Ministers of Justice, Lead Them Hence (Valens) 01:07
• 71 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 18, Recitative. And Must Such Beauty Suffer? (Didymus, Theodora) 00:53
• 72 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 19, Air and Duett. Streams of Pleasure Ever Flowing (Didymus, Theodora) 06:20
• 73 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 20, Recitative. Ere This, Their Doom Is Past and They Are Gone (Irene) 00:30
• 74 Handel: Theodora, HWV 68, Pt. 3: No. 21, Chorus of Christians. O Love Divine, Thou Source of Fame 03:36
• Total Runtime 02:45:28

Info for Handel: Theodora

The oratorio Theodora was first performed at the Covent Garden Theatre on 16 March 1750 and clearly took Londoners by surprise. Handel had, after all, made a one hundred and eighty degree turn in his choice of subject. The grandiose episodes of the Old Testament, the glorious struggles of Solomon, Saul or Judas Maccabaeus are no more: the young martyr Theodora leads neither a community nor troops into battle. In a work far removed from the grand spectacle of biblical oratorios, Handel invites us to witness the poignant tale of a personal drama, a drama of the beginnings of Christianity fuelled by conscience, faith, and the heartbreak that they cause.

Sophie Junker, soprano (Theodora)
Dara Savinova, mezzo-soprano (Irene)
Christopher Lowrey, counter-tenor (Didymus)
Frederico Projecto, tenor (Messenger)
Matthew Newlin, tenor (Septimius)
Andreas Wolf, bass (Valens)
Choeur de Chambre de Namur
Millenium Orchestra
Leonardo Garcia Alarcón, direction

The Millenium Orchestra
brings together in a single phalanx and in a variety of forms the most talented musicians, who come from all horizons but share the same passion and desire for excellence.

Its members come from several generations of early music specialists who play on original instruments adapted to different repertoires, baroque, classical or even romantic.

Formed in 2014, Millenium Orchestra has been touring the musical seasons and festivals since February 2015 under the direction of Leonardo García Alarcón. His first production was a W.A. Mozart programme with the soprano Jodie Devos: "The Vienna Concert 1783" published by Ricercar..

In 2016, Millenium Orchestra recorded Scarlatti's St. John Passion with the Chœur de Chambre de Namur and participated in the impressive production of Donizetti's Requiem at the Saint-Denis Festival.

In 2018, the orchestra was associated with the productions marking the 30th anniversary of the Chœur de Chambre de Namur, its privileged partner: Lully's Grands Motets, Veneziano's Passion, Handel's oratorio Samson, etc.

From 2019 to 2023, the orchestra will continue its cycle of Handel's great oratorios (Saul, Sémélé, Solomon, Theodora) in the company of the Chœur de Chambre de Namur, and will focus on the sacred works of Antonio Vivaldi (Vespro a San Marco).

Millenium Orchestra receives support from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (music and dance department), the National Lottery, the City and Province of Namur. It benefits from the Tax Shelter of the Federal Government of Belgium and Wallonie-Bruxelles International.

Chœur de Chambre de Namur
Since its foundation in 1987, the Chœur de Chambre de Namur has been committed to cultivating the musical heritage of its region of origin, and is dedicated to the great works of the choral repertoire, ranging from the Middle Ages to contemporary music. The artistic director since 2010 has been the Argentinian conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, with whom the choir has performed on many occasions in Europe and South America. The ensemble has made numerous recordings and performs at many prestigious festivals. It works with conductors such as Peter Phillips, Richard Egarr, Christophe Rousset and Julien Chauvin and will continue to collaborate with ensembles such as Les Talens Lyriques, Reinoud Van Mechelen and A Nocte Temporis as well as Alexis Kossenko and Les Ambassadeurs in the coming seasons. Highlights of the last season include Georg Friedrich Händel's »Saul« in Namur and Beaune, »La Vie Parisienne« by Jacques Offenbach at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Jean-Philippe Rameau´s »Indes galantes« at the Opéra national de Paris.

The Chœur de Chambre de Namur is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (service de la musique et de la danse), the Loterie Nationale as well as the City of Namur. It also receives support from Wallonie Bruxelles International.

Leonardo García-Alarcón
s a harpsichordist, conductor, choirmaster and composer, who also has vast experience in opera. He sets himself apart with his in-depth knowledge of the repertoire, as well as the genius and audacity of his interpretations, as he constantly strives to rekindle the elemental force of music and transmit emotion.

After studying piano in his native country, Argentina, in 1997 Garcia-Alarcón moved to Geneva in order to continue his studies as a harpsichordist and specialise in early music. He performed with Ensemble Elyma, where he became assistant conductor to Gabriel Garrido.

As a conductor and harpsichordist, Garcia-Alarcón performs at festivals and in concert halls all over the world, preferrably with lesser known repertoire. With Cappella Mediterranea he gave much acclaimed performances of largely forgotten early Italian operas, including Francesco Cavalli’s Elena, Erismena, Eliogabalo and Il giasone. Hen composed a highly acclaimed new third act to Antonio Draghi’s opera El Prometeo, the original score having been lost to history.

Garcia-Alarcón teaches the harpsichord and vocal interpretation of Baroque music at the Geneva University of Music.

In October 2022, Garcia-Alarcón made an impressive debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducting Mozart’s version of Handels’s opera Acis and Galatea, in a mise-en-espace by Pierre Audi. Two years later he returned with a unique pastiche consisting of episodes from worldly cantatas by Bach and Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks.

“Above all, he is a great conduit of emotion. He has many identities and is at once a learned musicologist and a showman. He can elicit the enthusiasm of an entire hall with the most varied repertoire, from a street dance version of Indes Galantes to the St. Matthew Passion.” - Charles Sigel for Forumopera in June 2022

“Rarely have I met a conductor who is as interested in theatre, dramaturgy, schools of thought, and the relationship between music and text.” - Jean-Yves Ruf, stage director

“Like certain physicists, I believe that time does not exist and music allows us to resurrect the souls of composers.” - Leonardo García-Alarcón

Booklet for Handel: Theodora