By the time he came to write what was to be his last major choral work, Handel had completed almost 30 oratorios and more than 40 operas – a vast canvas upon which he had displayed his breathtaking ability to portray every facet of human emotion. This final work distills all that has gone before into two hours of deeply profound music, beautifully performed here by Harry Christophers and his stellar cast of soloists. Sophie Bevan is dazzling as the daughter, Iphis, who must accept the dire consequences of her father’s vow; her suitor, Hamor (Robin Blaze), is pure in both voice and devotion and James Gilchrist is simply sensational as the anguished Jephtha, breaking our hearts with Waft her, angels, through the sky.
