Hercules (music drama)
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Hercules (HWV 60) is a music drama in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The English-language libretto was by Thomas Broughton after the Trachiniae of Sophocles and the Metamorphoses of Ovid.
[edit] Performance history
Hercules was first given at the King's Theatre in London on 5 January 1745 in concert style. There were only two performances, but it was repeated in 1749 and 1752. The first modern performance was in Münster in 1925.
[edit] Roles
Premiere 1745 | ||
---|---|---|
Hercules | bass | Thomas Reinhold |
Dejanira, wife of Hercules | mezzo-soprano | Miss Robinson |
Iole, daughter of the King of Oechalia | soprano | Elisabeth Duparc, called "La Francesina" |
Hyllus, son of Hercules | tenor | John Beard |
Lichas, a herald | alto | Susanna Maria Cibber |
[edit] Sources
Hercules by Stanley Sadie, in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7