London Handel Festival: Theodora

The London Handel Festival opened yesterday with Theodora, full review here, on Music and Vision.

It was heartening to find the festival performing the work uncut, even though it meant spending 3.5 hours in St. George's Church, Hannover Square. A venue which has mixed sight lines, rather uncomfortable pews, terrible provision for loos (not good in long Handel pieces) and last night we seemed to have some very noisy standing room audience as well. The festival were recording the performance, so I hope the mysterious booming noises coming from the back of the balcony did not affect things too much. But, its easy to moan and we should give the festival credit for putting on such a varied and fabulous programme on what is probably a shoe string.