Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus To Be Performed in New York
By Susan Rosenbluth
On the last night of Chanukah, December 14, at 7 PM, the American Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Leon Botstein, will perform George Frederic Handel’s masterpiece, Judas Maccabaeus, at The Riverside Church in Manhattan. This performance is reflective of the ASO’s mission under Mr. Botstein to revive rarely performed works that audiences might otherwise never have a chance to hear performed.
Set in the years 170-160 BCE, when Judea was ruled by the Seleucid Empire, the oratorio is a dramatization of the Jews’ resistance to their Greek oppressors during the Maccabean Revolt. Depicting the attempt to destroy Judaism in favor of the cult of Zeus, the music evokes the changing moods of the Jewish people as their fortunes range from hope to dejection until the finale, filled with jubilation.
The American Symphony Orchestra’s performance will feature tenor Jack Swanson as Judas and mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel, bass William Guanbo Su, and soprano Brandie Sutton along with the Bard Festival Chorale and The Riverside Choir.
Chanukah Story
Written in three acts, it starts with the Israelites mourning Mattathias and being called to arms by his sons Simon and Judah, who inspire the people with the ideals of liberty and victory through the power of G-d.
The middle section of the piece opens with the victorious Jews warned by Judah to recognize the divine origin of their success. When told that the Seleucid commander Gorgias is preparing his vengeance, the people’s joyous mood gives way to wailing and dejection until Judah once again rallies them. He insists paganism must be resisted and its altars in the Holy Land destroyed.
The third act, which tells of Judah’s victory over the Seleucids and Rome’s eagerness to form an alliance with the Jewish people, contains what is arguably Handel’s most famous chorus, “Hail, the Conquering Hero Comes.”
Jerusalem Symphony Connection
The oratorio’s libretto was written in English by Thomas Morell in honor of the victorious Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, upon his return from the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the final confrontation of the Jacobite uprising. The first performance took place on April 1, 1747, at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.
Founded in 1962 by maestro Leopold Stokowski, the American Symphony Orchestra has been under the baton of Mr. Botstein since 1992, when its mission became to create thematic concerts that explore music from the perspective of the visual arts, literature, religion, and history.
Mr. Botstein, conductor laureate, and principal guest conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, which he served as music director from 2003–11, is co-artistic director of the Bard Music Festival at Bard College, where he has served as president since 1975.
Tickets to Judas Maccabaeus range in price from $25 to $35 and are available at americansymphony.org.
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