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here is arguably no greater or more important body of work that defines a human being than the ancient Greek tragedies. Pre-eminent within the corpus is Sophocles, a writer who was also a war general with first-hand knowledge of the devastating psychological traumas that imperilled returning soldiers. With Hercules – Handel’s masterful take on Sophocles’ play – the incomparable director Peter Sellars creates a healing work in which the untold traumas of war and the unspoken complications of reunion
The end of war is just the beginning
find their voice. Sellars propels the incendiary ancient myth of Hercules into the modern day, creating a moving individual story that cuts across history and politics to touch the open nerve of our innermost humanity. This new COC co-production earned unequivocal praise when it opened last season at Lyric Opera of Chicago. The same brilliant cast, including Eric Owens, Alice Coote, Richard Croft, Lucy Crowe and David Daniels, is conducted once again by internationally renowned Baroque specialist and COC favourite Harry Bicket.
Peter Sellars makes a very welcome return with this new COC co-production. The same outstanding cast which premiered at Lyric Opera of Chicago will appear in Toronto.
Prelude Magazine 23