Handel's Judas Maccabaeus
Celebrate Chanukah with International Opera Stars Anthony Roth Costanzo and Isabel Leonard, and members of the Clarion Choir and Clarion Orchestra
Each year, as Christmas approaches, Americans stream into churches and concert halls to delight in the stirring sounds of George Frideric Handel's Messiah and its “Hallelujah” chorus.
But five years after Handel wrote that oratorio, he composed another beloved work, this time about Judah Maccabee, who led the rebellion against King Antiochus IV that allowed the Jewish people to reclaim the Second Temple. This is the victory we celebrate on Chanukah. With a libretto based on the First Book of Maccabees, the oratorio embodies the shifting moods of the Jewish people from despair as the Syrian Greeks attempted to prevent a Jewish uprising to jubilation at its success.
As we light the fourth Chanukah candle this year, Temple Emanu-El welcomes international opera stars Anthony Roth Costanzo and Isabel Leonard to join the renowned Clarion Choir and Orchestra for a suite from Handel’s choral-orchestral masterwork Judas Maccabaeus, together with other beloved Handel arias, duets and choruses from Esther, Rodelinda, and Giulio Cesare.
The Clarion Orchestra, performing with period instruments, is one of the country’s leading Baroque orchestras. The Grammy-nominated Clarion Choir is a vocal ensemble that has toured internationally.
The performance of this magnificent but relatively unknown work will be under the direction of Maestro Steven Fox, artistic director of The Clarion Music Society, and will be introduced by Dr. Ellen Harris, Professor of Music at MIT and author of two books about Handel.
This program, to honor, remember and celebrate Ambassador Carl Spielvogel, Zl’, was conceived and is sponsored by Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.
In the event that the Covid-19 pandemic prevents large gatherings, all in-person tickets for this program will automatically become virtual. A link to the virtual program will be emailed to buyers the day prior.
PROOF OF VACCINATION IS REQUIRED TO ENTER THE VENUE - MASKS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES.