Handel Hercules musical drama to libretto by Thomas Broughton. Directed 2004 by Luc Bondy. Stars William Shimell (Hercules), Joyce DiDonato (Dejanira), Toby Spence (Hyllus), Ingela Bohlin (Iole), Malena Ernman (Lichas), and Simon Kirkbride (Priest of Jupiter). William Christie conducts and chorus of Les Arts Florissants. Set design by Richard Peduzzi; costume design by Rudy Sabounghi; lighting design by Dominique Bruguière. Directed for TV by Vincent Bataillon; produced by François Duplat. Sung in English. Released 2016, disc has dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Handel wrote this in 1745. It was not successful and was performed only 5 times during Handel's life. It was then almost completely neglected until the first modern production in 1925. The 2004 production by Luc Bondy came out in 2006 as a DVD, which was well received. I can't explain why it took 10 more years to offer it in Blu-ray. But it appears this is a legitimate Blu-ray updating of a title that should appeal to fans of Handel and early music.
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