Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco - Antonio Vivaldi: Ercole su'l Termodonte (2007)
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | Italiano (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 136 min | 7,36 Gb (DVD9)
Classics | Label: Dynamic | Sub: Italiano, English, Francais, Deutsch, Espanol
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | Italiano (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 136 min | 7,36 Gb (DVD9)
Classics | Label: Dynamic | Sub: Italiano, English, Francais, Deutsch, Espanol
Ercole su’l Termodonte was Vivaldi’s 16th opera, appearing in 1723 in Rome. There was a Papal ban on women appearing on stage at the time and so the opera was sung by seven castrati and a male tenor, the latter singing the title role, Hercules. Portraying either the Amazons of myth or Greek warriors, the castrati must have been quite a scene and made quite a sound. Conducted by a Catholic priest–Vivaldi himself–with red hair, the entire proposition boggles the mind.
