Bach, Handel, and Hercules
Friday, September 24, 2021 at 7:30 pm
Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
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Ars Lyrica returns to the Hobby Center with a morality tale set to music by both Bach and Handel.
The iconic strongman Hercules earned his place in the pantheon not through conquests but rather for his wisdom and honor. A pillar of mythology since Antiquity, Hercules faces a familiar dilemma, one that found significant resonance in the Baroque era, when ancient stories were a principal source of moral instruction. Both composers treat Hercules’ temptation and ultimate embrace of virtue with ravishing arias and grand ensembles.
Concert Information
Concert broadcast replay information
The full concert broadcast video of Bach, Handel, and Hercules is available to in-person subscribers, digital subscribers, Single Event Pass holders, and Single Event Replay Pass holders.
Replay Passes may be purchased by clicking below.
On the program
G. F. Handel, The Choice of Hercules, HWV 69
J. S. Bach, Hercules at the Crossroads, BWV 213
Run time
90 minutes, no intermission
Change of plans?
Subscribers can exchange their Ars Lyrica 2021/22 Zilkha Hall concert tickets for another 2021/22 Ars Lyrica Zilkha Hall concert.
About the Artists
º Ars Lyrica debut
Artist reviews
“Expressive yet dignified, his phrasing confident and his ornamentation stylishly discreet, [Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen] brought tears to my eyes."
–The New York Times
“Tenor Steven Brennfleck... delivered his role with outstanding presence and a clear, lyric voice in an outstanding performance.”
–Texas Classical Review
“Leia Lensing… mak[es] her HGO debut as Mary with clarity and opulent color…”
–Houstonia
“As the angel Gabriel and later Eve, Nola Richardson was totally delightful, displaying nimble coloratura and a light voice of penetrating beauty.”
–South Florida Classical Review
“Mention should be paid to bass-baritone Jason Zacher for his fierce revolutionary Angelotti (more of him, please).”
–Houston Press
