Handel: Jephtha - Petersfield Musical Festival

Written in 1752, Jephtha was Handel’s last oratorio, and undoubtedly one of his greatest. The outline of the plot is simple: Jephtha, recalled from exile to lead the Israelites against the Ammonites, vows to sacrifice the first thing he sees if he returns successfully; tragically, it is his own daughter who makes a point of being the first to greet him. The desperate situation is finally saved by the intervention of an Angel.

From this outline, Handel and his librettist, Thomas Morell, weave an absorbing dramatic narrative. The characters’ rollercoaster of personal emotions is explored through all his skill at individual characterisation, whilst the chorus provides a moving commentary on the broader public and social issues, running a gamut of feeling from prayer to triumph, despair to final acceptance.