Choral Award Maxim Emelyanychev
Handel Theodora
Lisette Oropesa et al; Il Pomo d’oro Choir and Orchestra/maxim Emelyanychev Erato 5419717791
This new benchmark recording of Handel’s 1750 oratorio Theodora was the latest in a run of impressive largescale recordings of the composer’s works by conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and his Il Pomo d’oro Orchestra. But it also marked a first for them. ‘I’ve done quite a few Romantic oratorios with big involvement from the chorus,’ he says, ‘but this one is very special for me, and for us, because it’s the first time we’ve done something with the Il Pomo d’oro Choir.’
Though Theodora features prominent solo roles, the choir also plays a distinct part in the drama and in ways not entirely usual for a Baroque oratorio, as the conductor explains: ‘Usually in Baroque opera or oratorio you would have arias at the end of each act, but here this is not the case – each act finishes with chorus. What I like in Handel’s oratorios, and especially in Theodora, is that most of the culminations are soft. Handel was a very operatic composer, so even if the plot is something abstract, he always thought about it like drama and you can hear it in the music. The chorus appears, each time, in different roles – so they provide an emotional commentary, or just celebrate some aspect.’
The production, which featured a top-notch cast of soloists including Lisette Oropesa and Joyce Didonato, was recorded live at the end of a run of performances – an ideal way to distil the show’s chemistry, as Emelyanychev shares: ‘It really helps a lot in understanding the shape of the show, how you build it dramatically and what you want to achieve from the recording. Music happens live, so the energy we had between orchestra, singers and audience is very important and adds electricity and tension. We tried to replicate that in the recording.’