The English Concert

Britain’s extraordinary early-music ensemble visits with another exquisite concert performance of a Handel masterwork in what has become an eagerly anticipated highlight of each Cal Performances season.

Hercules is a fine showcase for the richly expressive mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg, who sings the demanding role of the hero’s wife Dejanira, evolving from impatience to rage to despair as her jealousy leads her to murder and madness. The opera, with a libretto in English, Hercules also features some of Handel’s most gorgeous choral writing, showcasing the crystalline voices of New York City’s Clarion Choir.

“A certain magic occurs when Bicket gives the down beat: the players unleash gleaming rays of sound” (The New York Times).