The Maccabaean Revolt in the second century B.C. provided the background to the story that unfolds in Judas Maccabaeus . It is part of the history of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires. This oratorio follows the story from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. up until Judas' march on Jerusalem in 164 B.C. With a libretto supplied by Thomas Morell, Handel's great work was first performed at…
Oratorio in three parts. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. In quite characteristic fashion for the times, Handel's opera ; Alessandro looks at various episodes in the life and rule of Alexander the Great (356 323 BC). This legendary warrior and military commander conquered large parts of the world before meeting an untimely end at the age of 32. A central conflict in Handel's opera is Alessandro being …