Hercules (Handel)

Handel's three act oratorio that premiered in 1745
Musical Drama by George Frideric Handel

Hercules (HWV 60) is a Musical Drama in three acts by George Frideric Handel, composed in July and August 1744. The English language libretto was by the Reverend Thomas Broughton, based on Sophocles's Women of Trachis and the ninth book of Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Hercules was first given at the King's Theatre in London on 5 January 1745 in concert style. There were only two performances in the original run. The role of Lichas was written first as a small one for tenor, but it was greatly expanded before the premiere to provide Susannah Cibber with six airs. She was too ill to sing on the first night, and the music was either omitted or redistributed on that occasion. She sang in the second performance on 12 January. The music for the chorus "Wanton God" and the air "Cease, ruler of the day" was never given in this opera: the latter was adapted for the final chorus of Theodora. The work was a total failure and caused Handel to suspend his season. Hercules obtained three further hearings, two in 1749 and one in 1752, for which the role of Lichas was eliminated, and much of the other music was also cut. Hercules was originally performed in the theatre as an oratorio without stage action. It is argued that this contributed to its later neglect as it did not make the transition into the church and the concert hall successfully. When fully staged it was reappraised and acclaimed by Romain Rolland, Henry Prunières, Paul Henry Lang and others as one of the supreme masterpieces of its age.

The mad scene for Dejanira "Where shall I fly?" is one of the highlights of the score. It contains many changes of tempo and mood, following the character's panic and despair. The chorus comment on the action after the manner of the choruses in Greek tragedy, with varied and inventive music. Some of the choruses contain massive fugues, others are "jolly" tunes. The work makes extensive use of musical chromaticism. For musicologist Paul Henry Lang, the excellence of the libretto, the masterly characterisation through music, and Handel's superlative musical invention make Hercules "the crowning glory of Baroque music drama".

+YearCastHercules,Dejanira,Iole,Hyllus,LichasConductor,orchestra,chorusLabel1968Louis Quilico,Maureen Forrester,Teresa Stich Randall,Alexander Young,Norma LererBrian Priestman,Wiener Rundfunk Orchester,Wiener Akademie ChorRCA LP Cat:SER 5569 711982John Tomlinson ,Sarah Walker,Jennifer Smith,Anthony Rolfe Johnson,Catherine DenleyJohn Eliot Gardiner,English Baroque Soloists,Monteverdi ChoirArchiv CD Cat:2742 0042000Gidon Saks,Anne Sofie von Otter,Lynne Dawson,Richard Croft,David DanielsMarc Minkowski,Les Musiciens du Louvre,Les Musiciens du LouvreArchiv CD Cat:469 532 22008Peter Kooij,Nicola Wemyss,Gerlinde Sämann,Knut Schoch,Franz VitzthumJoachim Carlos Martini,Barock orchester Frankfurt,Junge KantoreiNaxos CD Cat:8.557960 62