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Home , Alice Coote, Alison Balsom, Harry Bicket, Hercules (Handel), The English Concert, Tim Mead

leads a stellar cast for ’s first performances of Handel’s opera on tour across Europe

G.F. Handel – Hercules 14 February 2015 – Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris 26 February 2015 – , Vienna 1 March 2015 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham 4 March 2015 – The Barbican Centre,

Matthew Rose Hercules Dejanira James Gilchrist Hyllus Rupert Enticknap Lichas Harry Bicket director The English Concert The of The English Concert

“Harry Bicket ... whipped his musicians into wonderful finesse and a springing attack that never weakened during the long night.”

A stellar cast of soloists join The English Concert for their European tour of Handel’s Hercules, conducted by Harry Bicket. Matthew Rose takes the lead role of Hercules, alongside Alice Coote as Dejanira, Elizabeth Watts as Iole, Rupert Enticknap as LIchas and James Gilchrist as Hyllus. The tour marks the first performance of Handel’s Hercules by The English Concert, who have previously performed a wide range of Handel’s other works. Alice Coote received critical acclaim for her performance of Dejanira with the Canadian Opera in 2014, with Musical Toronto calling her “spellbinding”. The tour starts in Paris and follows on to Vienna and Birmingham before finishing at The Barbican Centre in London. The Barbican date takes place 270 years after the London premiere of Hercules, and 90 years after the first modern performance, which took place in Münster.

The of Hercules is based on the Sophocles play called The and focuses on the female dimension rather than magnifying Hercules’ exploits. As Harry Bicket explains:

“The story is really about Dejanira who is Hercules’ long suffering wife. It is about the women who are left behind when the men go to war. The story focuses on Hercules’ return to Dejanira after all his labours. Hercules returns home triumphant but exhausted and with a new princess with his spoils of war. In the Sophocles play it is clear that he has been having an affair with her, in the Handel version it is more ambigious. Either way, Dejanira is thrown into a complete state of panic and jealousy. The story really is about the relationship between a warrior who was a master of everything, and that same man coming home and not being able to communicate with his wife. It’s called Hercules, but actually Matthew Rose will be singing 3 arias, whereas Alice Coote has 8!”, whereas

The English Concert was created by in 1973 and has been under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket since 2007. Since Bicket’s appointment as Artistic Director, The English Concert has collaborated with singers such as Lucy Crowe, Elizabeth Watts, Alice Coote, and . The English Concert’s 2014/15 season sees the bring their unsurpassed reputation for inspiring performances of Baroque and Classical music to audiences for the 41st year running. The ensemble started this season with a successful performance of at the Bristol Proms, followed by a European tour of Handel’s starring Joyce DiDonato and Alice Coote, a highlight of 2014 as chosen by Rupert Christiansen.

"A triumvirate of mezzo-sopranos, each of them a consummate Handelian, each in the prime of their career, heighted anticipation....at times, the evening resembled a kind of sing-off with soloists taking turns to up the ante....The English Concert directed by Bicket at the , was on glorious form and there were exquisite solos from cellist Joseph Crouch and lead violinist Nadja Zweiner. As for those mezzos, well, you could hardly wish for more." The Telegraph

"But what made the evening special - and the closing scene so moving - was the vibrant singing of the youthful Erebus Ensemble, and the pellucid polyphonies and exquisite continuos of the period-instrument English Concert." The Independent

The English Concert & Harry Bicket

Internationally renowned as an opera and concert conductor of distinction, Harry Bicket is especially noted for his interpretation of Baroque and Classical repertoire, and became Artistic Director of The English Concert in 2007, one of the UK’s finest chamber . He was also appointed Chief Conductor of Santa Fe Opera in 2013 and opened the 2014 season with a critically acclaimed Fidelio. Born in Liverpool, he studied at the and Oxford University and is an accomplished harpsichordist.

International performances of Alcina and Hercules follow a series of successful tours for The English Concert with Harry Bicket and other internationally renowned artists. Recent highlights include European and US tours with Alice Coote, Sara Mingardo, Anna Caterina Antonacci, David Daniels and Andreas Scholl and the orchestra’s first tour to mainland China. Harry Bicket directed The English Concert and Choir in Bach’s at the 2012 Leipzig Bachfest and later that year at the BBC Proms, a performance that was televised for BBC 4. followed in early 2014, which toured the West Coast of the USA as well as Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris and The Barbican, London.

The English Concert's discography includes more than 100 recordings with Trevor Pinnock for Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, and a series of critically acclaimed CDs for with violinist . Recordings with Harry Bicket have been widely praised, including Lucy Crowe’s début solo recital, Il caro Sassone. In October 2013, EMI Classics released Sound the , a recording of for trumpet with and The English Concert directed by Trevor Pinnock.

The English Concert was created by Trevor Pinnock in 1973 and has been under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket since 2007. Since Bicket’s appointment as Artistic Director, The English Concert has collaborated with singers such as Lucy Crowe, Elizabeth Watts, Alice Coote, Danielle de Niese and Sarah Connolly. The English Concert’s 2014/15 season sees the orchestra bringing their unsurpassed reputation for inspiring performances of Baroque and Classical music to audiences for the 41st year running.

Upcoming Performances

The Food of Love 10 March 2015 –

Locke Suite "The Tempest" Part I Purcell - Oh the sweet delights of love - Draw near, you lovers - If music be the food of love Locke Suite "The Tempest" Part II Purcell - My dearest, my fairest - Music for a while - Oh, fair Cedaria Locke Arietta variata from Partita VII in C minor Purcell - Love, thou art best - One Charming Night - The plaint Clemene, pray tell me

Rosemary soprano Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano Harry Bicket director The English Concert

Maundy Thursday 2 April 2015 – Wigmore Hall

Schütz Die mit Tränen säen werden mit Freuden ernten J.C. Bach Ach, dass ich Wassers genug hätte Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri

Terry Wey counter tenor Harry Bicket director The English Concert The Choir of The English Concert

St George, the Patron of our Isle 23 April 2015 – St George’s Bristol, Bristol

Locke Suite from The Tempest Purcell Odes, Anthems, Songs and Arias Purcell Scenes from King Arthur

The Erebus Ensemble The English Concert Harry Bicket director

The Kings and Queens of Handel and Purcell 8 May 2015 – Wigmore Hall, London

Handel Eternal source of light divine Handel Overture from '' Purcell Chacony Purcell The Plaint Purcell Chaconne from 'King Arthur' Purcell Symphony from 'King Arthur' Purcell Come if you dare from 'King Arthur' Handel Passacaille Purcell Sound the trumpet Purcell Excerpts from 'The Fairy Queen'

Alison Balsom trumpet Lucy Crowe soprano counter tenor Trevor Pinnock director The English Concert

Henry Purcell - Dido and Aeneas 27 May 2015 – Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden

The English Concert Erebus Ensemble Harry Bicket Conductor Hurrell Dido David Stout Aeneas Mary Bevan Belinda Hilary Summers Sorceress Lisa Wilson 2nd Woman

Programme to include Purcell Dido and Aeneas (semi-staged)

http://www.englishconcert.co.uk

For further information, please contact:

Nicky Thomas Media Tel: +44 (0)203 714 7594 | Mob: +44 (0)7768 566 530 www.nickythomasmedia.com | [email protected]