The SpringFest finale features a single, brilliant work: Handel's Italian oratorio on the resurrection, penned in Rome in 1708. It was first performed on Easter Sunday of that year, backed by Handel's Roman patron Marchese Ruspoli. Ruspoli encouraged a setting and display, including movement, that mimicked opera, even though opera was officially banned at the time. With or without lavish visual trappings, Handel's music remains the clear highlight.