HERCULES – HANDEL
OCTOBER 21st, 2026 - 7:00 PM
THEATER AN DER WIEN - VIENNA
CONCERT VERSION (1745)
A monument to Greek tragedy, Sophocles' Trachinia immortalizes the timeless drama of marital jealousy. Hercules returns from the siege of Oechaly with a war hostage, the young Iole. Faced with the beautiful prisoner and driven by jealousy, Dejanira attempts to secure her husband’s fidelity with a gift. She goes mad as she realizes the centaur Nessus’ precious tunic is poisoned and that she has accidentally killed her husband. Hercules contains some of the composer’s most innovative pieces, such as the chorus “Jealousy infernal pest.” Handel always wanted this oratorio in English to be considered a musical drama. In order to reinforce the dramatic tension and to give Hercules its operatic colors, David Stern proposes an interpretation based on the original manuscript and the reworkings that Handel made in 1749 and 1752. Opera Fuoco and David Stern collaborate with the Namur Chamber Choir to honor the greatest hero in Greco-Roman mythology
ARTISTS
David Stern - MUSICAL DIRECTION
Guest Soloists
Edwin Crossley-Mercer – HERCULES
Avery Amereau – DEJANIRA
Current & former soloists from the Opera Fuoco Young Artists Program Opera Fuoco
Thaïs Raï-Westphal – IOLE
Bastien Rimondi – HYLLUS
Opera Fuoco Orchestra
Namur Chamber Choir
DURATION : 2H45 (with intermission)