Though Handel is one of the greatest of all musical dramatists, until now we have resisted the temptation to produce his operas because of the demands of opera production. Oratorio can be done in any room of suitable size and proportion.
Opera requires scenery, lighting, costumes, makeup, acting, and memorization of roles.
These same textbooks often characterize the libretti as beneath contempt as literature or drama. Because done in the spirit in which it was written, it is very good musical theatre, received truths notwithstanding. Winton Dean, Andrew Porter, and other enlightened critics have railed against the negative view of baroque opera for some time, and last April the University of Maryland's Opera Theatre Program decided to present Handel's Tolomeo . Indeed, the experience of the last few years at some of the world's leading opera companies suggests that a sumptuous production in a huge house is not only unnecessary, but often counterproductive. The April production of Tolomeo took place in the Music Department's 235-seat recital hall.