La Resurrezione, Oratorio by G. F. Handel
The historic site of the Basilica di Massenzio, which is situated in the ancient Roman Forum in the heart of Rome, is the venue for a performance of George Frideric Handel's oratorio, La Resurrezione. This concert is part of the Caracalla Festival, staged annually in the Italian capital. It is a great chance to experience the majesty of the British-German composer's music in a truly remarkable setting performed by the Baroque Orchestra of the Italian Conservatories.
Fittingly, this two-part oratorio was written during Handel's stay in Rome while he was still in his early twenties. It premiered in that city on 8 April 1708 at the Ruspoli Palace. Taking the resurrection of Christ as its theme, La Resurrezione is often noted for its freshness and vitality, something that his more mature works sometimes lack. Scored for five vocal soloists plus an orchestra and a choir, the oratorio is much closer to an opera than it is to a traditional concert piece.
In fact, despite its sacred theme, Handel was all but forced into orchestrating La Resurrezione as an oratorio because there was a Papal ban on opera being performed in Rome at the time. The music portrays the battle between the protagonists in stark terms, those of darkness and light. Not only is Lucifer portrayed in Handel's music with a bass part, for example, but other Biblical figures, including Mary Magdalene, are scored. Handel's music keeps the dramatic tension high despite the eventual outcome being something that must have been known to audiences at the time and, indeed, to this day.
Nevertheless, La Resurrezione is only loosely based on the stories that constitute part of the four gospels. Carlo Sigismondo Capece's libretto adds much colour to a familiar story with the odd reference to Greek myths here and there. In particular, audiences are likely to be impressed by the aria ‘Ferma l'ali, e sui miei lumi’ which is touchingly orchestrated for a soprano singer with recorders and softly played violins. The sorrowful and plaintive ‘Per me già di morire’ is another highlight which has an almost sublime level of tenderness throughout.
Given the Roman setting and the powerfully evocative music that remains much-admired by audiences the world over, this performance of La Resurrezione will delight fans of religious music and others in equal measure.