Nicholas Phan on the banner for the December PBO concert (from the event page for this concert)
The oratorio most closely associated with next month’s holiday season is George Frideric Handel’s HWV 56 Messiah. This is one of the more ecumenical instances of sacred music, since most of the libretto is drawn from the Books of the Prophets in the Old Testament, while setting of texts from the New Testament are comparatively sparse. Nevertheless, the actual holiday associated with this oratorio is Christmas, while the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah has received almost no musical attention.
Nevertheless, Handel’s catalog of oratorios was a prolific one. Thus, when it comes to the celebration of Hanukkah, one might appropriate a bit of Apple-speak and note, “There’s an oratorio for that!” The oratorio is the HWV 63 Judas Maccabaeus; and, while it does not explicitly dwell on the miracle for which Hanukkah is celebrated, it certainly fills in much of the context. Next month’s offering by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (PBO) & Chorale will be devoted entirely to a performance of HWV 63.
As might be expected, the oratorio is set in a time when the Jews are oppressed by an invading source. The invaders were the Seleucid Empire, which was determined to eliminate all Jewish religious practices. The patriarch of the Maccabee clan was Mattathias, a priest that had killed a fellow Jew that was about to offer a pagan sacrifice. This marked the beginning of a revolt led by Mattathias with the assistance of his sons Simon and Judas. Under Judas’ leadership, the Seleucid invaders were conquered; and the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple there. This included relighting the temple lamp over the ark holding the sacred texts, using a sparse amount of oil expected to burn for only a day, which turned out to sustain for eight days.
The “Hanukkah miracle” does not figure in the libretto that Thomas Morell wrote for Handel. Rather, the narrative begins with the death of Mattathias and then follows the advances and retreats of the rebellion led by Judas. By the end of the third part of the oratorio, victory has been achieved and is celebrated with the best-known music from the score, the chorus “See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes!”
The leading vocal solos are divided between Simon (baritone William Berger) and Judas himself (tenor Nicholas Phan). The only other named role is that of Eupolemus, the Jewish ambassador to Rome, whose part will be sung by bass-baritone Sepp Hammer. Vocal solos will also be performed by soprano Robin Johannsen and mezzos Sara Couden and Jacque Wilson. Bruce Lamott will prepare the Philharmonia Chorale, and Nicholas McGegan will conduct.
The San Francisco performance of this concert will take place on Thursday, December 5, beginning at 7 p.m. (Note that, due to the length of the oratorio, the performance will begin one hour earlier than usual.) The venue will be Herbst Theatre, which is located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Ticket prices will range from $32 to $120 for premium seating. Tickets are currently available for advance purchase through a City Box Office event page, which displays a color-coded seating plan that shows which areas correspond to which price levels.
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