Handel’s penultimate oratorio Theodora was a flop on debut. Its 1750 premiere at the Royal Opera in Covent Garden was marred by an earthquake in London that sent wealthy patrons fleeing to the country and by a public who had no appetite for the uneasy tale of Theodora, a Christian martyr in Antioch who was executed in 304 AD along with her lover Didymus for not surrendering to Roman Paganism.

Handel’s favourite oratorio lasted three performances, librettist Thomas Morell commenting, “the second night audience was very thin indeed.”

Even Handel reportedly remarked with some disappointment, “It sounded well in a half-empty room.” Handel would have been well pleased with Sydney’s turnout for Theodora, a full house on opening night.

Samantha Clark as Theodora. Photo © Keith Saunders

Theodora was consigned to history until the 20th century when it was revived by the legendary director Peter Sellars at Glyndebourne in 1996, confronting in its ending as the protagonists strapped to gurneys await their deaths. Theodora finally returned to Covent Garden in 2022 nearly three centuries after its premiere there, with a surprise twist at the end of Katie Mitchell’s thrilling production.

Handel composed Theodora...