Hercules (Handel)

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Hercules ( HWV 60) (also: " Herakles ") is an oratorio in three acts by Georg Friedrich Händel . It was announced by Handel himself as A New Musical Drama and, like Semele , is close to the opera .

Origin and reception

It was not unusual for Handel to compose an oratorio in a few weeks. With Hercules, however, it is noticeable that he did this with two of them one after the other. He began composing on July 19, 1744 and completed the first act on July 30 and the second on August 11. All in all he must have finished the work on August 21, because on that day he wrote a letter to Charles Jennens , the librettist of Belshazzar , in which he asked for the third act to be sent. Apparently Jennens had not been able to keep up with the composer's pace and had only composed the text for the first two acts. Without waiting for the third one, Handel began composing the Belshazzar on August 23.

Hercules premiered on January 5, 1745 at King's Theater in London's Haymarket and was a devastating flop. Handel had to cancel the season and on January 17th published an announcement in the Daily Advertiser that the money for the remaining concerts would be paid back to the subscribers. The very next day, some turned to the public with the request to refuse the repayment "with Justice to the Character of the Nation, and the Merit of the Man".

Apparently, many subscribers joined in this generous gesture, because a few days later Handel announced that he would continue the season as far as possible. A total of 16 of the 24 scheduled concerts were given; in addition to performances by Samson , Saul , Joseph and his Brethren and Messiah , Belshazzar was performed for the first time on March 27th.

Hercules, on the other hand, remained a less popular work during Handel's lifetime. Only in 1749 and 1752 it was resumed under his direction for two and one performances respectively. While his Biblical oratorios were standard repertoire in Britain in the second half of the 18th century and the 19th century, the secular dramas received little attention. Only in the second half of the 19th century did the performances increase.

In the 20th century it was gradually discovered that Handel's composition can also be played as an opera. For the first time on March 4, 1925, there was a scenic performance in Münster , directed by Hanns Niedecken-Gebhard - movement choir Kurt Jooss , set design by Hein Heckroth . This type of performance has recently gained acceptance, for example under William Christie and Luc Bondy (Paris 2004, Vienna 2005, New York and London 2006) or at the Handel Festival in Halle under Alessandro De Marchi and Fred Berndt in 2005 .

At the Olympic Games in 1936 , Hercules (Herakles) was performed on August 14 and 16, 1936 with 2500 participants on the Dietrich-Eckart open-air stage (Berlin Waldbühne) as a cultural contribution by Berlin with eleven choirs and two symphony orchestras, the SA guard standard formed one Movement choir, the National Socialist Women's Association provided additional choirs, Fritz Stein was the musical director . "To" reinforce the bass ", a trautonium ( Oskar Sala ) was used in addition to the harpsichord ."

libretto

The libretto was written by Thomas Broughton . It is based on the tragedy The Trachinians by Sophocles and on the Metamorphoses by Ovid . Compared to the templates, the plot has been changed in some points. In Broughton, unlike Sophocles, there are no signs of Hercules' infidelity. Dejanira's jealousy is not based on Hercules' behavior, but on her own delusion. Dean has pointed out that this relationship with Shakespeare's dramas in textual quotations e.g. B. in the choir about jealousy ("Jealousy! Infernal pest"). The figure of the Iole was largely invented by Broughton, with Sophocles it remains silent all the time.

people

The cast was sung by the following singers at the world premiere:

action

first act

Palace in Trachis, Tessalia . Lichas pities his mistress Dejanira because she complains about Hercules' fate and is worried about his war voyage. He asks Jupiter to protect the hero and lead him back to his wife (“No longer fate relentless frown”). Dejanira complains about Hercules' absence (“The world when day's career is run”). Lichas tries unsuccessfully to comfort her. Hyllos reports on a sacrificial service to find out the fate of the hero. The priest saw Hercules stretched out dead ("I feel, I feel the god, he swells my breast"). Dejanira only hopes to be united with him in death ("There in myrtle shades reclined").

Hyllos promises to set out to investigate Hercules' fate and bring him back, or go under yourself ("Where congealed the northern streams"). The choir encourages him to this act of fame ("O filial piety"). Lichas announces that Hercules has returned home after his triumphant advance against Oechalia. He killed King Eurytus and brought a train of prisoners with him. Dejanira breathes a sigh of relief (“Begone, my fears”).

Square in front of the palace . Princess Iole, daughter of Eurytos, was brought to Trachis by Hercules and mourns the death of her father ("My father"). Hercules wants to give up the craft of war and spend his old age in love and happiness at Dejanira's side ("The god of battle quits the bloody field"). The choir ends the act with a jubilant song (“Crown with festal pomp the day”).

Second act

One room . Iole envies Dejanira, who can live happily removed from the world ("How blest the maid"). Dejanira enters, upset by Gram (“When beauty sorrow's livery wears”). She accuses Iole that Hercules, seduced by her beauty, asked Eurytus for Iole's hand. Because he was rejected, he destroyed Oechalia in revenge and took Iole with him as prey. Iole assures that there is no reason for jealousy ("Ah, think what ills the jealous prove"). The choir comments on how easily jealousy can arise from a delusion ("Jealousy! Infernal pest").

Hyllos has fallen in love with Iole, but she cannot return the love for the son of her father's murderer. Hyllos explains that gods descended from Olympus out of love ("From celestial seats descending"). The choir confirms that the whole world is ruled by the laws of love (“Wanton gods of amorous fires”).

Another room . Dejanira accuses Hercules that his fame has been eclipsed. He does not understand her and explains that his name will always be glorious ("Alcides' name in latest story"). She accuses him, who could not subjugate the work assigned to him by Hera, to have now been defeated by the love for a captured girl ("Resign thy club and lion's spoils"). Hercules briefly denies the accusation, but then goes off to a festival of thanksgiving.

Dejanira feels that her jealousy is confirmed ("Cease ruler of the day to rise") and comes up with an idea: she has a dress from Nessos that was stained by his blood when Hercules fatally wounded him. Nessos assured that with this dress she could win back Hercules' heart. She instructs Lichas to bring Hercules the robe as a gift. She then apologizes to Iole for her suspicions and comforts her in speaking out in favor of her release. Both start a duet (“Joys of freedom”). The choir ends the act with the wish for the couple to reconcile (“Love and hymen, hand in hand”).

Third act

Lichas comes to the trachers complaining and tells of what happened at the festival of sacrifice. When he put on Hercules the robe presented by Lichas, it poisoned the hero, who is now in agony (“O scene of unexampled woe”). The choir is shocked that the avenger of mankind is no longer ("Tyrants now no more shall dread").

Temple of Jupiter . Hercules curses Dejanira, whom he blames for his torments ("O Jove! What land is this"). He asks Hyllus to build a pyre for him on Mount Oeta, from which he wants to ascend to Olympus. Hyllus wishes that the news of Hercules' death would not be announced in Oechalia (“Let not fame the tidings spread”).

Palace . Dejanira realizes that she has carried out Nessos' revenge on Hercules ("Where shall I fly?"). When Iole arrives, Dejanira accuses her, but then realizes that she is to blame for the accident. Iole feels sorry for her ("My breast with tender pity swells").

A priest reports the cremation of Hercules' corpse on the Oeta, where an eagle raised his soul into the circle of gods. He passes on Jupiter's wish to Iole that she should marry Hyllus. She agrees and starts a duet with Hyllos ("O prince, whose virtues all admire"). The choir praises the hero Hercules once again (“To him your grateful notes of praise belong”).

literature

  • Winton Dean : Handel's Dramatic Oratorios and Masques . Clarendon, Oxford 1989, ISBN 0-19-816184-0 (Original edition: Oxford University Press, Oxford 1959).
  • Hans Joachim Marx : Handel's oratorios, odes and serenatas. A compendium. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1998, ISBN 3-525-27815-2 .
  • Albert Scheibler, Julia Evdokimova: Georg Friedrich Händel. Oratorios guides . Edition Cologne, Lohmar 1993, ISBN 3-928010-04-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Photo of the performance from 1936 in the English language Wikipedia
  2. ^ Hans Joachim Marx : Handel's oratorios, odes and serenatas. A compendium. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1998, ISBN 3-525-27815-2 , p. 96