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VERSION:2.0
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DTSTAMP:20260502T022946Z
UID:f072c0d6-06bc-472a-b8e4-9af858d0e787
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260528
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260501
DESCRIPTION:May 28 - Jun 14\, 2026\nShe came (to Paris)\, she sang (for Lou
 is XIV)\, she conquered. Abandoned by her aristocratic husband when he upp
 ed and joined the army\, the penniless Venetian-born Antonia Bembo (c. 164
 0 to c. 1720) was seeking refuge for herself and her three children and sh
 e found it. A student of Francesco Cavalli (best remembered today for his 
 wacky mythological fantasy La Callisto)\, Bembo composed in all the major 
 genres\, bequeathing six volumes to the Bibliothèque National. Ercole Ama
 nte (Hercules in Love)\, her only opera\, recycles a libretto previously u
 sed by Cavalli and covers very much the ground Handel did in Hercules. Aga
 in\, the hero dies of a cloak poisoned with the blood of the centaur Nessu
 s. In Handel\, it’s his justly suspicious wife Dejanira who sends it to 
 him in the mistaken belief that it will restore his love for her. In this 
 version it’s Iole (the captive princess who has excited Dejanira’s jea
 lous fury) who is tricked into sending the cloak\, which consumes Hercules
  alive. The good news: he ascends to heaven\, where he and Beauty are join
 ed in marriage among the immortals. Bembo knew a thing or two about errant
  spouses\, and I wonder: did she roll her eyes? The German bass-baritone A
 ndreas Wolf leads the cast as Hercules. The scintillating mezzo Deepa John
 ny is Dejanira\; the soprano Ana Viera Leite is Iole\, the thorn in Dejani
 ra’s side. Leonardo Garcìa Alarcón\, who eight years ago had a smash a
 t the Paris Opera with Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes\, returns for an eage
 rly awaited encore.
LOCATION:Opéra Bastille\, Place de la Bastille 75012 Paris
SUMMARY:Antonia Bembo: Ercole Amante
URL;VALUE=TEXT:https://airmail.news/arts-intel/events/antonia-bembo-ercole-
 amante
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