In terms of the popularity of Handel's oratorios during his lifetime, Judas Maccabaeus was second only to his Messiah. From 1747 to 1759, it was performed on no less than 30 occasions in the theatres of London. It was no coincidence that Handel chose the victorious biblical military leader as his hero, the work was composed for William Augustus, Prince of Cumberland. The general won a decisive battle against the Jacobites, ending their hopes of Stuart restoration at Colluden in 1746. The charact...er of the battling hero therefore plays a major role in the work, as demonstrated by the title of the opening movement – See, the Conqu'ring hero comes (which, although it became popular for its part in Judas Maccabaeus, only later found its way into the piece from the Joshua oratorio). In addition to the effervescent, victorious passages, Handel's remarkable musical ability is illustrated by the piece's darker, more lyrical movements, such as the opening chorus mourning the end of Zion. The oratorio is set to a libretto by Thomas Morell based on the controversial first book of Maccabees, as well as the writings of Josephus Flavius. This concert, conducted by György Vashegyi, is the second joint performance of the Orfeo Orchestra and the Purcell Choir to be included in the season ticket programme for spring. Presented by Sysart Kft.
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
Safe ticket purchase
Dear Visitors, please note that only tickets purchased from the Müpa website and official ticket offices are guaranteed to be valid. To avoid possible inconvenience, we suggest buying tickets to our performances and concerts via the mupa.hu website, the Interticket national network (jegy.hu) or at our official ticket offices.