The première of the opera took place the following January at the King’s Theatre in London, in concert style, the context in which it would continue to be performed in later centuries. The work was initially performed twice, without the chorus “Wanton God” or the aria “Cease, ruler of the day,” which are well known today and were only “tagged on” later from the closing scene of Theodora.

Intended for theatre but more suited to the oratorio genre, the piece was performed on three more occasions during the composer’s lifetime, before audiences discovered it for themselves in the latter half of the 19th century – just as they did other theatrical works with secular themes. The work received the recognition it deserved in the 20th century (together with Handel’s other nearly forgotten operas).

It was first staged in Münster in Westphalia in 1925, and was later heard by an audience of some 2,500 at the Waldbühne theatre during the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Today, the custom is to revive the 1925 performance, either in order to refresh opera house repertoires or to expand the range of works on offer at various festivals focusing on Handel or his time.

It was presented in Paris in 2004, Vienna in 2005 and New York and London in 2006, and was also performed at the Handel Festival in Halle in 2005.

A joint production of the Palace of Arts and the Budapest Spring Festival

Date: 21 March 2012
Time: 7.00 pm - 10.30 pm
Bartók Béla National Concert Hall

Handel: Hercules – music drama in three acts, Hungarian première
Hercules: István Kovács
Dejanira, wife of Hercules: Viktória Vizin
Iole, daughter of Eurytos: Katalin Szutrély
Hyllus, son of Hercules: Zoltán Megyesi

Featuring: Orfeo Orchestra, Purcell Choir
Conductor: György Vashegyi
Director: Csaba Káel

Prices: 1900, 2600, 3900, 5500 Ft"

Source: Palace of Arts