A rare chance to hear Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus (HWV 63) and the first time that a full performance has been given in Durham since 1770. Even if you’ve never heard the full piece before, there’s one tune that you might recognise ‘See the conquering hero comes’ – often sung as the hymn ‘Thine be the Glory’ and a popular brass band piece.

Handel composed this oratorio in three acts in 1746 as a tribute to the victorious Duke of Cumberland upon his return from the Battle of Culloden in the same year. The oratorio describes events in the period 170–160 BC which feature in The First Book of the Maccabees in The Apocrypha. At this time, Judea was ruled by the Seleucid Empire which undertook to destroy the Jewish religion. Being ordered to worship Zeus, many Jews obeyed under the threat of persecution; however, some did not. One who defied was the elderly priest Mattathias who killed a fellow Jew who was about to offer a pagan sacrifice. After tearing down a pagan altar, Mattathias retreated to the hills and gathered others who were willing to fight for their faith.​

Nave tickets £24  / those in full time education £12. Limited view tickets in the South Transept available for £12