The English Concert
featuring Handel's 'Hercules' with the Clarion ChoirSee this rarely heard opera concert by a world-class cast before it heads to Carnegie Hall.
The extraordinary early-music ensemble The English Concert, directed by Harry Bicket, joins forces with the critically acclaimed Clarion Choir and their founder, visionary conductor and Juilliard-trained Steven Fox '00, along with a cast of renowned soloists, to bring this dramatic work to life.
Part opera, part tragedy, Hercules blends the grandeur of myth with the intimacy of human emotion as it tells the story of a hero's return home and the unraveling that follows, moving from fiery arias to aching laments and capturing a volatile mix of emotions.
Join us for a Pre-Show Talk at 6:30 pm in Top of the Hop. Senior Lecturer Rowland Moseley introduces Handel's Hercules: what to listen for and what to know about the composition and its genre.
Funded in part by the Marion and Frederick B. Whittemore 1953 Distinguished Artists Series, Anonymous #136 and the Robert S. Weil 1940 Fund in Support of Hopkins Center Visiting Performing Artist Program.
Performers
The English Concert
Harry Bicket, Artistic Director and Conductor
William Guanbo Su, Hercules
Ann Hallenberg, Dejanira
Hilary Cronin, Iole
David Portillo, Hyllus
Alexander Chance, Lichas
The Clarion Choir
Steven Fox, Director
The English Concert is an outstanding orchestra: exceptional, in the world-renowned quality, ambition and variety of its live and recorded output; unique, in the zeal of its players for working and performing together; unwavering, in its desire to connect with its audience throughout the world. Founded by Trevor Pinnock in 1972 and under the present artistic direction of Harry Bicket and principal guest Kristian Bezuidenhout, The English Concert has earned a reputation for combining urgency, passion and fire with precision, delicacy and beauty. Highlights of the orchestra's calendar include an international Handel opera tour, a regular London series at venues including the Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Barbican Centre, and an annual residency at Garsington Opera.
In 2023, The English Concert launched its ambitious Handel for All project, which aims to film and make freely available all of Handel's works online. For more information, visit englishconcert.co.uk.
Resources
Download the Playbill “Expert as always ... no one plays Handel like this.”
New York Classical Review
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