Cavalli: Hercules in Love

A lavish, slow-moving Baroque opera that immerses you in mythological spectacle and rich music, rewarding patience with visual and vocal grandeur.

Directed by

François Roussillon

Genres

Music

Starring

Nahuel Di Pierro, Giuseppina Bridelli, Ray Chenez

Overview

Francesco Cavalli, a natural successor to Monteverdi, was the most famous and influential Italian opera composer during the mid-17th century. Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister to the king, commissioned Cavalli to create a Parisian spectacle to celebrate the wedding of the ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV and the Infanta of Spain. Ercole amante (‘Hercules in Love’) was the flattering subject chosen for this regal extravaganza combining larger-than-life characters with mythology, and genuine human emotions with natural and cosmic phenomena. The result is a sumptuous Baroque spectacle, conceived on a vast scale in this lavish production by directors Valerie Lesort and Christian Hecq.

How it feels

Campy, romantic, earnest and whimsical. Measured and demanding.

About

Love, power, identity, fate

Content

Mild sexual content. No violence, gore or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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