Just Who in Heaven's Name Is Theodora?
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Volume 15, No. 3 April 2013 Barbara Hemmendinger, editor Just who in heaven’s name is Theodora? Theodora was a Christian saint Theodora’s ultimate fate became whose feast day, April 28 th , is pre- intertwined with that of a Roman cisely when the Chorus will recount imperial guard who had secretly be- her martyrdom by performing Theo- come a Christian. Some claim that dora , the oratorio that George their tragic love story reflects mono- Frideric Handel composed in 1749. theism’s great disapproval of the in- So far, so good. stitution of “sacred prostitution”, which had been prevalent in the an- St. Theodora likely lived in Al- cient Middle East. exandria, Egypt, during the fourth century AD, although much later the Joined by a baroque orchestra French playwright, Pierre Corneille, and renowned soloists (see page 3), as well as Handel’s librettist would we will present Theodora on Sunday, set their stories about her life in An- April 28 th , 3 pm, in St. Mark’s Lu- tioch, a city in present-day Turkey. theran Church, preceded by Music As a believer during the times of the Director Ned Wetherald’s pre- Roman Emperor Diocletian’s perse- concert lecture at 2:45. As there is cution of Christians, Theodora had no additional fee for the lecture, do taken a vow of celibacy for Christ. come to hear more about the plot, When the local governor, Proculus, music, and staging of Theodora . became aware of her vow, he cau- tioned that her penalty for such an punishment. Notwithstanding, she Tickets are available at Robert action, which would further decrease maintained her steadfast vocation M. Sides Family Music Center, the the already withering Roman popula- until the end, stating “I believe…it is Otto Book Store, and from Chorus tion, was to be taken to a brothel to the will which God regards in every members. Advance purchases in- be defiled. Since she came from a action; and that if my soul continue clude a $2 discount off the box office noble family, Theodora could have chaste and pure, it can receive no prices of $12 for general admission had her choice of husbands to avoid prejudice from outward violence.” and $10 for students and seniors. ♫ Singers’ Corner Having been aware of our 2011 accepted, our singers could elect to California! Imagine the work’s concert, The World Beloved: A Blue- participate, and three débuted there composer and the librettist both grass Mass , Distinguished Concerts on February 18 th . (Cost and time pre- being present to advise the es- International/New York invited the cluded others’ going). teemed Dr. Nancy Menk who con- Civic Chorus to submit an audition ducted the ensemble, with Monroe CD to participate in a Carnegie Hall Imagine singing with 287 choris- Crossing as bluegrass band accom- performance of that very piece. Once ters from as far away as Ireland and panists! Imagine a full house! ♫ This opening paragraph (in ital- nists. The somber ending has waves Ned’s ics) of a pre-concert lecture last year of emotion with an air sung by Didy- by noted Handel scholar, Dr. Ruth mus, immediately followed by a duet Smith at the University of North with Theodora. After a brief recita- Notes... Texas, does an excellent job of tive by Irene (“Ere this, their doom pointing out many of the unique (and is past and they are gone to prove to me, attractive) aspects of this that love is stronger far than wonderful work by Handel. Theo- death”), the work closes with a slow dora’s story was first told by St. benediction-like chorus in G minor. Ambrose (fourth century) and was listed in Acta Sanctorum of the Beyond its dramatic aspects, Catholic Church and John Foxe’s Handel’s compositional maturity in Book of Martyrs . An unsuccessful this piece is stunning. He was 65 play by Corneille (1646) retold the years old when he completed Theo- legend, as well as a 1687 novella by dora and had been writing oratorios Robert Boyle. Boyle’s “The Martyr- for over 20 years and operas for dom of Theodora and Didymus” was many years before that. He knew included in a 1744 volume of his how to use music to develop charac- complete works and would have ters and plot. We have also been been known by Handel’s audience. discovering these building blocks of Handel’s musical form and look for- I must admit that what initially ward to bringing them to life for you. drew me to Theodora were its differ- “Among Handel’s seventeen ences–the intensity that persists religious dramatic oratorios Theo- throughout the work, the thought dora is unique. Nowadays it ranks provoking plot, the somber ending. “Ned’s Notes” is provided for the as one of his greatest, most inward, You will hear the intensity right enjoyment of our readers by Ned most emotive compositions. But in from the beginning. No sooner does Wetherald. Currently in his sixteenth 1750, at the age of 65, Handel had Valens (the president of Antioch) year as music director of the Williams- port Civic Chorus, Ned is minister of produced a work too radical and announce festivities to celebrate the music at State College Presbyterian complex for the audiences of his birthday of Diocletian (the emperor Church. He holds bachelor’s and mas- time. In sharp contrast to his other of Rome)–which sounds like an up- ter’s degrees in music and choral con- dramatic oratorios, its story is not beat beginning–than Didymus (a Ro- ducting from Shenandoah University. from the Bible, it is set in Christian man soldier who has secretly con- times, and at the end there is no re- verted to Christianity) takes us down joicing: the hero and heroine are a different road with his questioning dead, and the community with which of the decree. The intensity contin- the audience identifies is in mortal ues in the anguished arias and tense “This performance is supported in part danger. Although Theodora contains exchanges. The thought-provoking by the Pennsylvania Council on the some of his most tender, most aspi- plot asks the listener to sympathize Arts, a state agency funded by the Com- rational and most intense music, and with a heroine who was a Catholic monwealth of Pennsylvania and the although the first cast included his saint. We are asked to identify with National Endowment for the Arts, a best singers, with the rising young the persecuted Christians, even federal agency.” star Guadagni as Didymus, for Han- though we are not dissenters from del it was a box-office disaster. But the state religion. The antagonists Visit us: Theodora was admired by his musi- are not as objectionable as the Israel- cal friends and patrons, and in our ite’s enemies in Handel’s Old Testa- williamsportcivicchorus.org own time it has gained its deserved ment oratorios. In fact, in several place as a landmark of music thea- choruses and in the character of Sep- tre, both deeply challenging and ut- timius we catch glimpses of compas- terly accessible.” sion that begin to endear the antago- 2 Theodora soloists ♫ Dr. Jennifer Griffith Cowgill Peter & Paul, and New York’s Lin- (soprano) is associate professor of coln Center and Carnegie Hall. He is voice at Marywood University in a member of the American Guild of Scranton, having held a similar posi- Musical Artists, a board member for tion at the University of Alabama in the Delaware Valley Opera Com- Tuscaloosa. She has performed in pany, and he sings with the Vox recitals, operas, oratorios, and musi- Amadeus Ensemble. Mr. Oliver cals including solo performances owns and operates the Cunningham with the Atlanta Choral Guild and Piano Company, a piano retailer and the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. Dr. rebuilder in existence since 1891. 69 th SEASON Cowgill received the doctor of music in vocal performance from Florida Dr. Todd Griffith (bass) ap- Theodora State University and the master of peared as a soloist in our April 2012 music from Peabody Conservatory. performance of Mass in a Time of Handel’s oratorio of a tragic love She earned her bachelor's degree in War and The Lord Nelson Mass . He story, with orchestra and soloists vocal performance from Oberlin is chief technical officer for Discov- Conservatory, studying with the in- ery Machine, Inc., a software com- ternationally renowned voice peda- pany he founded here. Dr. Griffith Sunday, April 28 th , 2013 gogue, Richard Miller. She and Dr. began his vocal career as a student St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Todd Griffith, bass soloist, are sib- section leader in Bucknell Univer- lings who grew up in Williamsport. sity’s Rooke Chapel Choir and with 142 Market St., Williamsport the Bucknell Opera Company. While Amanda Silliker (mezzo so- earning a PhD in computer science prano) returns as a soloist, having from Georgia Tech, he also studied 2:45 pm, pre-concert lecture last performed with the WCC in “An voice with Elizabeth Colson. Dr. Evening at Esterhazy”. She studied Griffith’s area performances include 3 pm, concert vocal performance at Penn State and solo parts with the Williamsport Sym- is an active local and international, phony Orchestra and the Williamsport performer. She has been featured Chamber Choir & Orchestra. with the combined Penn State choirs and orchestra, the Williamsport Laurel Smail (soprano) most Symphony Orchestra, and with the recently performed as a soloist in Looking ahead Williamsport Chamber Choir & Or- Penn State University's Mosaic con- In 2013-14, the Chorus begins chestra. Ms. Silliker teaches voice cert in addition to working on sev- its 70 th continuous performance year.