08-05-2025
Jephtha review — Joyce DiDonato disappoints in uninspired Handel
Whatever is, is right. Such is the refrain in one of the most compelling stretches of Handel's final oratorio, based on the Old Testament tale of the Jewish commander's decision to mark a crucial victory by making a sacrifice of whomever he first sees on his return home. Unfortunately, it's his is, however, wasn't always right in this Barbican rendition, the fifth stop in the European tour of the baroque specialists Il Pomo d'Oro and their guest conductor Francesco Corti. Though the group has often toured with Handel before, Corti seems to forget that Handel in slow, grandiose mood needs a pulse just as much as the Handel of flying semi-quavers. The worst casualty was the 'whatever is' chorus: it arrived half dead.
