When the Masks Fall

Festival Lecture (in German)
Prof. Dr. Arnold Jacobshagen, Cologne

Disguise, deception, and shifts of identity shape the plot of Deidamia (1741) on multiple levels. Handel’s final opera marked a decisive turning point in his life and work. From then on, the composer devoted himself primarily to the genre of the English oratorio, creating with Messiah (1742) his most popular work.

In an oratorio, there are neither masks nor costumes, and instead of the “foreign” Italian language, performances were now sung in English. Musically, the step from opera to oratorio was smaller than it may seem: the musical elements (overtures, recitatives, arias, ensembles, choruses) and dramatic structures of the two genres are similar, and cross-gender casting, deception, and masquerade also play a role in Handel’s oratorios. From this perspective, the lecture explores the interplay between opera and oratorio at key biographical moments.