The Reverend Thomas Morell wrote this libretto to be set to music by George Frederick Handel. It was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre in London in 1752.
The story is taken from the Old Testament book of Judges. Jephtha, a military leader of the Israelites, swears an oath to the Almighty that if he is granted victory he will sacrifice the first living creature he meets on his return. Tragically his daughter Iphis is the first to greet him leaving him with the choice between killing his own daughter or breaking his vow to God. (Summary by Alan Mapstone)
Cast List:
Jephtha: Alan Mapstone
Zebul: Larry Wilson
Storgé: Sonia
Iphis: Agnes Robert Behr
Hamor: Adrian Stephens
Angel: Rapunzelina
Chorus of Israelites: Greg Giordano
Chorus of Virgins: Rapunzelina
Chorus of Priests: Inkell
Narration: Elsie Selwyn
Audio Editor: Alan Mapstone
Chapters
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org), the text (opens archive.org), all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org).