Hercule mourant
Hercule mourant (Hercules Dying) is an opera by the French composer Antoine Dauvergne, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (Paris Opéra) on 3 April 1761. It takes the form of a tragédie lyrique in five acts. The libretto, by Jean-François Marmontel, is based on the tragedies The Women of Trachis by Sophocles and Hercule mourant, ou La Déjanire (1634) by Jean Rotrou.
Performance history
The premiere was delayed by the death of the Duke of Burgundy. The opera ran for 18 performances.[1]
Hercule mourant was given its first performance in modern times on 11 November 2011 at the Opéra Royal de Versailles in a concert version with Christophe Rousset conducting Les Talens Lyriques. The title role was sung by Andrew Foster-Williams with Veronique Gens as Déjanire. A recording of the performance was released the following year on the Aparté label.[2]
Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere |
|---|---|---|
| Hercule (Hercules) | basse-taille (bass-baritone) | Nicolas Gélin |
| Déjanire (Deianira), his wife | soprano | Marie-Jeanne Fesch, known as "Chevalier" |
| Hilus (Hyllus), their son | haute-contre | Jean-Pierre Pillot |
| Philoctète (Philoctetes) | basse-taille | Henri Larrivée |
| Ïole (Iole) | soprano | Sophie Arnould |
| Dircé | soprano | Davaux |
| Junon (the goddess Juno) | soprano | Rozet |
| La Jalousie (Jealousy) | basse-taille | Henri Larrivée |
| Jupiter | Jaubert | |
| Le grand prêtre de Jupiter (the high priest of Jupiter) | ||
| Un thessalien (a Thessalian man) | ||
| Une thesalienne (a Thessalian woman) | ||
| Une captive (a captive woman) | ||
Recording
- Hercule mourant, Andrew Foster-Williams (Hercule), Véronique Gens (Déjanire), Emiliano Gonzalez Toro (Hilus), Les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by Christophe Rousset (2 CDs, Aparté, 2012)
References
- ↑ Dratwicki, booklet notes p.22
- ↑ Ashley, Tim (10 January 2013). "Dauvergne: Hercule Mourant – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
Sources
- David Charlton Opera in the Age of Rousseau: Music, Confrontation, Realism, Cambridge University Press, 2012.
- Félix Clément and Pierre Larousse Dictionnaire des Opéras, Paris, 1881.
- (French) Benoït Dratwicki, Antoine Dauvergne (1713—1797): une carrière tourmentée dans la France musicale des Lumières, Editions Mardaga, 2011.
- Benoït Dratwicki, booklet notes to the Rousset recording.
External links
- Les Talens Lyriques: Dossier: Hercule mourant (background information and synopsis) and Hercule mourant (detailed programme notes) (French)