60th Anniversary Concert Season
Arnold Rumbold presents G. F. Handel's
Hercules
Saturday, February 28 | 7:30 p.m.
Convocation Hall
Arts Building and Convocation Hall, University of Alberta, North Campus
Featuring:
- Tracy Dahl, Soprano | Iöle
- Phillip Addis, Baritone | Hercules
- John Tessier, Tenor | Hyllus
- Lizzy Hoyt, Mezzo-soprano | Dejanira
- Christopher Bagan | Conductor
- Blue Crown Baroque Ensemble
- Voice Students from the U of A Department of Music
Join us for an exclusive presentation and celebration of G. F. Handel’s rarely performed oratorio, Hercules! Featuring an incredible cast of singers (Tracy Dahl, John Tessier, Phillip Addis, and Lizzy Hoyt), they will be joined by the Blue Crown Baroque Ensemble performing on period instruments and at baroque pitch, led by harpsichordist and conductor Christopher Bagan.
Composed in 1774, the oratorio chronicles the classical myth of the Roman god, Hercules and his wife, Dejanira. Hercules returns from war, having conquered his foe, Oechalia and capturing his daughter Iöle. Dejanira becomes consumed with jealousy after seeing the captive’s youth and beauty. While her son, Hyllus falls in love with Iöle, Dejanira attempts to secure her husband’s fidelity using a charmed robe which she acquired from the centaur, Nessus. Unbeknownst to Dejanira, the robe is imbued with poison and causes Hercules’ death, leading Dejanira to go mad with grief.
A cornerstone composer of the western musical canon, Handel was known for developing the genre of Italian opera and reaching new heights in this form. In 1737, he changed creative direction and began composing English-language oratorios, ultimately making his works more accessible to the middle class. He became so successful that after his Messiah (1742), he never composed an Italian opera again.
This concert is made possible in part through a grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
