“Theodora” Music of the Baroque reviewed by Julia W. Rath

*** In honor of his 80th birthday, principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer led the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra in performing his favorite composition, Frideric Handel’s “Theodora” HWV 68. Operatic soloists Sherezade Panthaki (soprano), Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Allyson McHardy (mezzo-soprano), David Portillo (tenor), Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone), and Michael St. Peter (tenor) made Sunday’s concert an enjoyable, if not memorable, evening. The highlight of the performance was watching Kraemer so very excited about doing what he loves most, that is, to conduct the chorus and orchestra, play the harpsichord, and share his vision of music with the audience. What makes things interesting is that the libretto by Thomas Morell is in English and the sentences are remarkably understandable considering that it was written in 1750. That being said, at the end of the performance, I nevertheless tasked myself with explaining the libretto in one paragraph to several people who sat near me in the audience.

Basically, the story is about a Christian woman named Theodora (Panthaki) who lives in the 4th Century A.D. in Antioch, one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. She is very beautiful, and this has come to the attention of Valens (Woody), the President of Antioch, who believes in the Roman gods and the primacy of Caesar and the State. He takes issue with Christianity, a sect that he believes does not serve Rome. Septimus (Portillo) reports to him and must follow through with his orders to force the pagan belief system on the population, even though he personally disagrees with the dreadful task of persecuting Christians. One such task includes the kidnapping of Theodora. Irene (McHardy, with a phenomenal voice) is Theodora’s friend, who understands that she has fallen prey to lust and cruelty. She empathizes with her plight and mental strife and prays for her. Didymus (Davies) is in love with Theodora and is also a Christian. After her capture by the Romans, he takes a risk by trying to rescue her from prison in order to preserve her virginity and her life. While Didymus’s initial rescue goes well (by disguising himself as Theodora), the two eventually die at the hands of Valens. The couple believes that they will join each other in heaven, because they are both pure and true believers.

Some highlights of the program have to do with the duets sung by Sherezade and Davies, whose voices blend nicely together. Because they sing almost in the same range, the audience is neatly given the impression that the two of them could switch places while Theodora is in prison. There is also the small part of the messenger, who is played by St. Peter, one of the chorus members. What an incredibly fine-tuned and inspiring voice! Mary Stolper’s flute solo at the introduction to Act II, Scene 2, is gorgeously performed, plus she was garbed in a colorful stole against her black outfit. She and her flute returned shortly thereafter with string accompaniment. We watched Stephen Alltop alternate playing the harpsichord and a small organ. The horns (Oto Carrillo and Susanna Gaunt), bassoonist William Buchman, and concertmaster Gina DiBello should also be credited for strong performances. Then there are the puns and double-meanings in the words in the libretto. For example, Woody does a fine job with his vibrato when focusing on the word “shake” as in “shake our firm decree” in Act I, Scene I. Then too, there’s the word “below” which ends Septimius’s phrase on a low note (b-low), just before Act I, Scene 3. It is no coincidence that the final word in the libretto is also “below.” That’s meant as a pessimistic twist on the line before it, which speaks of “the glorious spring.” (And, by Jove, in early March we are at the beginning of meteorological Spring right now!)

There is a saying that anything could happen in a live performance… and it certainly did.

Slated to be 2 hours and 45 minutes long with an intermission, some unanticipated circumstances arose during the course of the performance. The first was a medical emergency shortly before Act II. For about five minutes, the concert was halted and a doctor came forward to attend to a gentleman in the third or fourth row. The audience was stunned into silence, feeling terrible about the patron who had just had a seizure. This occurrence took place just at the moment when we heard Didymus (Davies) dramatically sing about freeing the “captive fair” “with courage fire me, or art inspire me.” Since most people didn’t know what initially happened, I wondered, “Will I hear this program in its entirety?” Then the audience was told that we’ll take a 20-minute intermission while EMS was present. Between acts, I spoke with the venue manager about the prompt response to the emergency. He told me that he received three phone calls about what was happening: from the ushers and from security—and that they rehearse for something just like this. The concert then picked up at the point when it was suddenly halted, and the second half was subsequently increased by the portion remaining in the first half. Then shortly before the end, a woman tripped over a stair and fell. This time, it happened in the aisle near my seat, and three people (including my guest) attended to her. She said she was okay, and so the performance didn’t need to stop.

The audience was a bit thinner than usual on Sunday, presumably because the concert was competing with the Oscars on television. But why watch Hollywood stars over the airwaves when you can watch a performance of world-renown operatic stars, live and in person on stage?

Handel’s “Theodora” by the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra, took place on Sunday, March 2nd at 7:30 p.m., at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie.

This was followed by a performance on Monday, March 3rd at 7:30 p.m., at the Harris Theater, in Millennium Park, 205 W. Randolph Drive, in Chicago.

Live performance tickets ranged from $43 to $108. Discounts may be available for students and seniors.

On Friday, March 7th, on demand performances, begin at 5:00 p.m. On-demand tickets are $18 including a $3 handling fee.

For more information about this and future performances of Music of the Baroque, including times, dates, and locations, please go to: https://www.baroque.org/. For information about future ticketing, visit: https://www.baroque.org/tickets/.

Music of the Baroque is a resident company of the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. To learn more about the venue, their future offerings, and ticket prices, visit: https://northshorecenter.org/.

To learn more about the Harris Theater, their future offerings, and ticket prices, go to: https://www.harristheaterchicago.org/.