Ercole Amante

Hercule Amoureux de FRANCESCO CAVALLI

#ErcoleAmante

Salle Favart

from 4
to 12 November 2019

Dates

4 November 2019 relaxe 8.00 pm

6 November 2019 relaxe 8.00 pm

8 November 2019 relaxe 8.00 pm

10 November 2019 relaxe 3.00 pm

12 November 2019 relaxe 8.00 pm

All dates

Information

+33 (0)1 70 23 01 31 // Age 10 and up

The show will be broadcast

on Arte Concert from November 12th and France Musique on November 30 at 8 pm

All audiences

Price

Ticket prices: € 138, 122, 97, 75, 50, 34, 16, 6

Book

Opera in a prologue and five acts to a libretto by Francesco Buti
Premiered in Paris (Tuileries) in 1662

Hercules loves young Iole but is married to Dejanira. Besides, Iole is also loved by their son Hyllus. Venus, who favors love, or Juno, who protects fidelity, who will win?

Hercules in love or love allied to seduction. No more flattering a subject could have been chosen to celebrate the wedding of young Louis XIV and the Infanta of Spain. Mazarin mobilized the best Italian artists for this opera in order to spread the image of an irresistible monarchy. Opera was still an Italian art form and prolific Cavalli was its best representative since Monteverdi’s death.

The work mingles bigwigs with mythology, emotions with natural and cosmic phenomena. The result, a court ballet, a machine piece and an opera, is perfectly sumptuous and baroque. Sung in Italian, Ercole amante was hardly understood at the time, and yet it was to inspire a young ballet master named Lully.

The beauty of this rare piece is displayed by Raphaël Pichon and an ideal cast. Valérie Lesort and Christian Hecq give the Baroque the freshness and fantasy that made the success of their Domino noir in 2018.

Production in Italian with French supertitles

Music direction, Raphaël Pichon
Staging, Valérie Lesort and Christian Hecq

With Nahuel di Pierro, Anna Bonitatibus, Giuseppina Bridelli, Francesca Aspromonte, Krystian Adam, Eugénie Lefevbre, Giulia Semenzato, Luca Tittoto, Ray Chenez, Dominique Visse

Choir and orchestra, Ensemble Pygmalion

Cast

Music direction Raphaël Pichon

Staging Valérie Lesort and Christian Hecq (Sociétaire de la Comédie Française)

Scenery Laurent Peduzzi

Costumes Vanessa Sannino

Lights Christian Pinaud

Moves collaboration Rémi Boissy

Puppets realisation Carole Allemand, Sophie Coeffic, Valérie Lesort

Staging assistant Olivier Podesta

Scenography assistant Maïté Vauclin

Costumes assistant Peggy Sturm

Chef de chant Pierre Gallon*

Scientific collaboration Barbara Nestola, CNRS-CESR/CMBV

Ercole Nahuel di Pierro

Giunone Anna Bonitatibus

Dejanira Giuseppina Bridelli

Jole Francesca Aspromonte

Hyllo Krystian Adam

Pasithea Clerica, Terza Grazia, Secondo Pianeta Eugénie Lefebvre

Venere, Bellezza, Cinthia (prologue) Giulia Semenzato

Nettuno, Eutyro Luca Tittoto

Il Paggio Ray Chenez

Licco Dominique Visse

Prima Grazia Marie Planinsek *

Seconda Grazia, Primo Pianeta Perrine Devillers *

Terzo Pianeta Corinne Bahuaud *

Prima Aura Olivier Coiffet *

Seconda Aura, un Sacrificatore Renaud Brès *

Ruscello, Busiride, un Sacrificatore Nicolas Brooymans *

Un Sacrificatore Constantin Goubet *

Dancers Anna Beghelli, Rémi Boissy, Leslie Dzierla, Mikaël Fau, Florence Peyrard

Choir and orchestra Ensemble Pygmalion

New production Opéra Comique

Co-production Château de Versailles Spectacles, Opéra National de Bordeaux

We thank Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Collaboration scientifique de Barbara Nestola, CNRS-CESR/CMBV

* Members of Pygmalion

Before the show

Meet the artists, Tuesday 15 October at 7 pm
Presentation of the production 45 minutes prior to the performance :
- Keys to the production, salle Bizet
- Sing Ercole amante, Foyer Favart