Jephtha

 I hadn't seen this opera before but, always happy to try something new, I thought I'd give it a go, after all, it had three things going for it that I really enjoy; opera, Handel and the WNO.

Jephtha has a libretto by Thomas Morell and is based on the Bible story from the Book of Judges (but with some artistic licence, especiaqlly regarding the ending). I suspect that the entire libretto might fit on a postcard but Mr Handle stretches it to a full three acts, Unfortunately, as any good playwright knows, if you have a weak plot then you really shouldn't leave people too much time to see the holes ;-) In this case, there really is not enough there to justify the time taken; Handel's music is beautiful but not sublime enough to lose yourself in, the performers act their socks off but have so little to impart that they spend a lot of time looking lost ... the orchestra has a good time (and I love the harpsichord, so that kept me entertained).

Jephtha is exiled from his fellow Israelites but is called back to lead their army against the Ammonites ... in order to succeed he makes a pact with God that, if he wins, he will dedicate to God, or sacrifice, the first thing or person he sees on his return. Well, he wins (helped by a band of armed cherubims, that raised a few laughs) and on his return the first thing he sees (well, the first thing he appears to notice) is his own daughter and, forgetting the dedicating part of his vow, he thinks he must sacrifice her. She agrees but as he is about to do it an andel appears and reads back to him his own small print and the interporetation that, instead of dying she simply needs to live her life as a virgin dedicated to God. We are left with some very confused locals, a depressed lover, resigned daughter, estranged wife, smug angel and Jephtha losty in a sea of paperwork as he takes on his new role as leader.

Ok, I may have skipped some bits, but that's really it ... 

At the end, I'm not sure if the chorus or audience were more confused, not by the production but by the plot. The WNO were, as always, professional to the end and its delightful to have such clarity that the sur-titles can be ignored. I think my only memory fro this opera will end up being the spiral staircase ... and a slightly uneasy feeling that I should have given this a miss.