Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco - Antonio Vivaldi: Ercole su'l Termodonte (2007)

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.
The opera has both serious and comic elements. The man-hating Amazons are led by Antiope; Ippolita is another Amazon warrior; Martesia is a flirtatious younger Amazon who really finds nothing wrong with men. Hercules, of course, is the hero at war with the Amazons (one of his labors), but he seems merely to show up, act ferocious, and give orders and advice, the latter to Martesia about love(!). Teseo, Alceste, and Telamone are his warriors who are smitten with the Amazon women. Along the way there are many arias of vengeance and some of romantic longing, battle scenes featuring trumpets and drums, and a last-minute appearance by Diana who declares peace and performs a double marriage overseen and approved by both Hercules and Antiope.
This production, from the 2006 Spoleto Festival, features the opera in a reconstruction; it had been presumed lost until recently. Some arias were found, conductor Alan Curtis has borrowed some from other Vivaldi operas, and Alessandro Ciccolini, Il Complesso Barocco’s concertmaster, has composed recitatives, accompanied recitatives, and orchestral music to complete the opera.

–Robert Levine

Performer:
Ercole - Zachary Stains
Antiope / Diana - Mary-Ellen Nesi
Martesia - Laura Cherici
Alceste - Luca Dordolo
Ippolita - Marina Bartoli
Teseo - Randall Scotting
Telamone - Filippo Mineccia
Il Complesso Barocco
Conductor - Alan Curtis
Director Set & Costume designer - John Pascoe