![Handel - Hercules (John Eliot Gardiner) [1995]](https://pixhost.icu/avaxhome/7d/cd/001ecd7d_medium.jpeg)
Handel - Hercules (John Eliot Gardiner) [1995]
![Handel - Hercules (John Eliot Gardiner) [1995]](https://pixhost.icu/avaxhome/7d/cd/001ecd7d.jpeg)
Handel - Hercules (John Eliot Gardiner) [1995]
EAC Rip | FLAC, IMG+CUE, LOG | Covers | 2cd, 650.20 MB
Classical | Label: Archiv Produktion | Catalog Number: 447 689-2
EAC Rip | FLAC, IMG+CUE, LOG | Covers | 2cd, 650.20 MB
Classical | Label: Archiv Produktion | Catalog Number: 447 689-2
Handel's "Musical Drama" HERCULES (1744) is one of a pair of secular dramas on Greek myths - the other is SEMELE - which the composer wrote for concert performance after he had shifted his energies from Italian opera to English oratorio. A dark drama of the destructive power of jealousy, it boasts a score of great power, of which Dejanira's scene of madness and remorse "Where Shall I Fly?" has become a favorite of mezzo-sopranos.
Complete recordings are another matter, and it's an odd fact that there has never been a note-complete HERCULES on disc. Even the latest full-length version - Marc Minkowski's highly praised version on DG, with Lynne Dawson, Anne Sofie von Otter, David Daniels, Richard Croft & Gidon Saks - isn't quite uncut, and also shifts a couple of numbers around, to no discernible purpose.
John Eliot Gardiner's 1983 version was generally regarded as "the best thus far" in pre-Minkowski days, and certainly it is strongly cast, with fine instrumental and choral support - indeed, Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir is preferable (to my ears) to Minkowski's Choeur des Musiciens du Louvre. Some may well prefer Gardiner's less overtly idiosyncratic approach to the score over Minkowski's aggressively dramatic one, especially as regards tempi. Too, in Gardiner's cast the 2 leading women are more sharply contrasted: Sarah Walker a far darker & weightier Dejanira than von Otter, Jennifer Smith a lighter-voiced Iole than Dawson. And in the male part of Lichas, Gardiner casts a woman (the excellent Catherine Denley) just as Handel did, rather than a countertenor.
The catch: Gardiner makes cuts, a lot of them, not just entire numbers - 8 in all - but parts of ones as well, including internal abridgements in 2 of the choruses & the final soprano/tenor duet. Minkowski, even with some race-car speeds, clocks in at 23 minutes longer. So I don't recommend this as first choice - but definitely as a strong supplement to the Minkowski.
By Nicholas A. Deutsch (Tarrytown, NY USA)
Tracklisting:
CD1
1. Act I. Overtura
2. Recitativo accompagnato: See with what sad dejection (Lichas)
3. Aria: No longer, Fate, relentless frown (Lichas)
4. Recitativo accompagnato & Aria: O Hercules! why art thou absent from me? (Dejanira)
5. Recitativo: Princess! be comforted, and hope the best (Lichas, Dejanira, Hyllus)
6. Aria: I feel, i feel the god (Hyllus)
7. Recitativo & Aria: Then i am lost! O dreadful oracle! (Dejanira)
8. Recitativo & Aria: Despair not! but let rising hope suspend (Hyllus)
9. Chorus: O Filial piety! O generous love!
10. Recitativo & Aria: Banish your fears! The noble Hercules (Lichas, Dejanira)
11. Recitativo: A train of captives, red with honest wounds (Lichas, Hyllus, Dejanira)
12. March
13. Recitativo: Thanks to the powers above (Hercules, Iole)
14. Aria: My father! Ah! methinks i see (Iole)
15. Recitativo & Aria: Now farewell, arms! From hence the tide of time (Hercules)
16. Chorus: Cross with festal pomp the day
17. Act II. Aria: How blest the maid ordained to dwell (Iole)
18. Recitativo & Aria: It must be so! Fame speaks aloud my wrongs (Dejanira, Iole)
19. Recitativo: Whence this unjust suspicion? (Iole, Dejanira)
20. Aria: Ah! think what ills the jealous prove (Iole)
21. Recitativo: It is too sure that Hercules is false (Dejanira, Lichas)
22. Chorus: Jealousy! Infernal pest
CD2
1. Recitativo: She knows my passion, and has heard me breathe (Hyllus, Iole)
2. Aria: From celestial seats descending (Hyllus)
3. Chorus: Wanton god of amorous fires
4. Recitativo & Aria: Yes, I congratulate your titles, swelled (Dejanira, Hercules)
5. Recitativo & Aria: O glorious pattern of heroic deeds! (Dejanira)
6. Recitativo: You are deceived! Some villain has belied (Hercules, Dejanira)
7. Aria: Cease, ruler of the day, to rise (Dejanira)
8. Recitativo: Some kinder power inspire me to regain (Dejanira, Lichas, Iole)
9. Duet: Joys of freedom, joys of power (Dejanira, Iole)
10. Recitativo & Chorus: Father of Hercules, great Jove, O help (Dejanira)
11. Act III. Sinfonia
12. Recitativo: Ye sons of Trachin, mourn your valiant chief (Lichas)
13. Aria: O scene of unexampled woe (Lichas)
14. Chorus: Tyrants now no more shall dread
15. Recitativo accompagnato: O Jove! what land is this, what clime accurst (Hercules)
16. Recitativo: Great Jove! relieve his pains! (Hyllus, Hercules)
17. Aria: Let not fame the tidings spread (Hyllus)
18. Recitativo accompagnato: Where shall I fly? Where hide this guilty head? (Dejanira)
19. Recitativo: Lo! the fair fatal cause of all this ruin! (Dejanira, Iole)
20. Aria: My breast with tender pity swells (Iole)
21. Recitativo: Princess, rejoice! whose heaven-directed hand (Priest, Dejanira)
22. Recitativo: Words are too faint to speak the warring passions (Dejanira, Priest, Iole)
23. Duet: O prince, whose virtues all admire (Iole, Hyllus)
24. Resitativo (Priest) & Chorus: Ye sons of freedom, now, in every clime
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 17. November 2011, 21:16
John Eliot Gardiner - The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists / Handel - Hercules CD1
Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-218L Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 192 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -T "DATE=%y" -T "GENRE=%m" -8 -V %s
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.32 | 6:58.50 | 32 | 31431
2 | 6:59.07 | 1:32.35 | 31432 | 38366
3 | 8:31.42 | 5:54.20 | 38367 | 64936
4 | 14:25.62 | 4:56.13 | 64937 | 87149
5 | 19:22.00 | 1:39.25 | 87150 | 94599
6 | 21:01.25 | 1:29.50 | 94600 | 101324
7 | 22:31.00 | 3:27.32 | 101325 | 116881
8 | 25:58.32 | 2:54.60 | 116882 | 129991
9 | 28:53.17 | 3:38.35 | 129992 | 146376
10 | 32:31.52 | 4:12.23 | 146377 | 165299
11 | 36:44.00 | 0:57.47 | 165300 | 169621
12 | 37:41.47 | 1:38.68 | 169622 | 177039
13 | 39:20.40 | 2:03.57 | 177040 | 186321
14 | 41:24.22 | 6:11.68 | 186322 | 214214
15 | 47:36.15 | 3:42.37 | 214215 | 230901
16 | 51:18.52 | 2:42.55 | 230902 | 243106
17 | 54:01.32 | 3:21.08 | 243107 | 258189
18 | 57:22.40 | 4:12.35 | 258190 | 277124
19 | 61:35.00 | 1:22.05 | 277125 | 283279
20 | 62:57.05 | 6:02.55 | 283280 | 310484
21 | 68:59.60 | 0:25.32 | 310485 | 312391
22 | 69:25.17 | 5:50.15 | 312392 | 338656
Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename C:\Handel - Hercules CD1.wav
Peak level 95.5 %
Extraction speed 0.1 X
Range quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 6842F6A2
Copy CRC 6842F6A2
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [C28CE9CF]
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [4D9B6247]
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [341E8AF5]
Track 4 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [B312DD24]
Track 5 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A373967E]
Track 6 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [763869D1]
Track 7 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [15A53A5C]
Track 8 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [6E568037]
Track 9 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A6A563B2]
Track 10 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [2D29E10D]
Track 11 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A858CA14]
Track 12 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [E060D0A9]
Track 13 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [F34586C3]
Track 14 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [C016EA77]
Track 15 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [2480A3E7]
Track 16 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [B9E86D24]
Track 17 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [534247D1]
Track 18 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A7618A05]
Track 19 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [E16AE988]
Track 20 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [69222B11]
Track 21 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [D43D0210]
Track 22 accurately ripped (confidence 11) [A3D8EAE7]
All tracks accurately ripped
End of status report
==== Log checksum 25A44E91916FB21398509D6B838006F73C2E9292B1778A06B02C1214608DA4BA ====
EAC extraction logfile from 17. November 2011, 21:16
John Eliot Gardiner - The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists / Handel - Hercules CD1
Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-218L Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 192 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -T "DATE=%y" -T "GENRE=%m" -8 -V %s
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.32 | 6:58.50 | 32 | 31431
2 | 6:59.07 | 1:32.35 | 31432 | 38366
3 | 8:31.42 | 5:54.20 | 38367 | 64936
4 | 14:25.62 | 4:56.13 | 64937 | 87149
5 | 19:22.00 | 1:39.25 | 87150 | 94599
6 | 21:01.25 | 1:29.50 | 94600 | 101324
7 | 22:31.00 | 3:27.32 | 101325 | 116881
8 | 25:58.32 | 2:54.60 | 116882 | 129991
9 | 28:53.17 | 3:38.35 | 129992 | 146376
10 | 32:31.52 | 4:12.23 | 146377 | 165299
11 | 36:44.00 | 0:57.47 | 165300 | 169621
12 | 37:41.47 | 1:38.68 | 169622 | 177039
13 | 39:20.40 | 2:03.57 | 177040 | 186321
14 | 41:24.22 | 6:11.68 | 186322 | 214214
15 | 47:36.15 | 3:42.37 | 214215 | 230901
16 | 51:18.52 | 2:42.55 | 230902 | 243106
17 | 54:01.32 | 3:21.08 | 243107 | 258189
18 | 57:22.40 | 4:12.35 | 258190 | 277124
19 | 61:35.00 | 1:22.05 | 277125 | 283279
20 | 62:57.05 | 6:02.55 | 283280 | 310484
21 | 68:59.60 | 0:25.32 | 310485 | 312391
22 | 69:25.17 | 5:50.15 | 312392 | 338656
Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename C:\Handel - Hercules CD1.wav
Peak level 95.5 %
Extraction speed 0.1 X
Range quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 6842F6A2
Copy CRC 6842F6A2
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [C28CE9CF]
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [4D9B6247]
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [341E8AF5]
Track 4 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [B312DD24]
Track 5 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A373967E]
Track 6 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [763869D1]
Track 7 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [15A53A5C]
Track 8 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [6E568037]
Track 9 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A6A563B2]
Track 10 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [2D29E10D]
Track 11 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A858CA14]
Track 12 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [E060D0A9]
Track 13 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [F34586C3]
Track 14 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [C016EA77]
Track 15 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [2480A3E7]
Track 16 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [B9E86D24]
Track 17 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [534247D1]
Track 18 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [A7618A05]
Track 19 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [E16AE988]
Track 20 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [69222B11]
Track 21 accurately ripped (confidence 12) [D43D0210]
Track 22 accurately ripped (confidence 11) [A3D8EAE7]
All tracks accurately ripped
End of status report
==== Log checksum 25A44E91916FB21398509D6B838006F73C2E9292B1778A06B02C1214608DA4BA ====
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 17. November 2011, 22:56
John Eliot Gardiner - The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists / Handel - Hercules CD2
Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-218L Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 192 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -T "DATE=%y" -T "GENRE=%m" -8 -V %s
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.32 | 1:21.15 | 32 | 6121
2 | 1:21.47 | 6:04.60 | 6122 | 33481
3 | 7:26.32 | 1:54.00 | 33482 | 42031
4 | 9:20.32 | 5:52.00 | 42032 | 68431
5 | 15:12.32 | 6:18.00 | 68432 | 96781
6 | 21:30.32 | 1:33.43 | 96782 | 103799
7 | 23:04.00 | 3:27.12 | 103800 | 119336
8 | 26:31.12 | 2:29.53 | 119337 | 130564
9 | 29:00.65 | 3:05.55 | 130565 | 144494
10 | 32:06.45 | 4:50.62 | 144495 | 166306
11 | 36:57.32 | 2:45.50 | 166307 | 178731
12 | 39:43.07 | 1:35.70 | 178732 | 185926
13 | 41:19.02 | 2:53.30 | 185927 | 198931
14 | 44:12.32 | 2:56.00 | 198932 | 212131
15 | 47:08.32 | 2:24.40 | 212132 | 222971
16 | 49:32.72 | 2:14.35 | 222972 | 233056
17 | 51:47.32 | 2:16.00 | 233057 | 243256
18 | 54:03.32 | 5:51.40 | 243257 | 269621
19 | 59:54.72 | 1:34.35 | 269622 | 276706
20 | 61:29.32 | 7:37.00 | 276707 | 310981
21 | 69:06.32 | 2:03.10 | 310982 | 320216
22 | 71:09.42 | 1:06.43 | 320217 | 325209
23 | 72:16.10 | 2:16.10 | 325210 | 335419
24 | 74:32.20 | 3:11.12 | 335420 | 349756
Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename C:\Handel - Hercules CD2.wav
Peak level 93.3 %
Extraction speed 0.0 X
Range quality 100.0 %
Test CRC FA8565EA
Copy CRC FA8565EA
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [A63F1607]
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [B1A59509]
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [F0132216]
Track 4 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [48AB1001]
Track 5 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [0592DA37]
Track 6 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [120F292F]
Track 7 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [469B8904]
Track 8 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [4BF493E2]
Track 9 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [594EA7D6]
Track 10 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [B00556B1]
Track 11 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [4E8CD00A]
Track 12 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [EB11A676]
Track 13 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [135A88FA]
Track 14 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [211CB4A5]
Track 15 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [D41CA364]
Track 16 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [39A72D8D]
Track 17 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [7F082B7B]
Track 18 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [044A1487]
Track 19 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [16BFED1A]
Track 20 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [EA282A76]
Track 21 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [744BD5F0]
Track 22 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [0C76885A]
Track 23 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [1274DA6B]
Track 24 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [94568A3C]
All tracks accurately ripped
End of status report
==== Log checksum 280F90595192306D02132C1167B613A868133DD7EB1D7C9069891358663337A0 ====
EAC extraction logfile from 17. November 2011, 22:56
John Eliot Gardiner - The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists / Handel - Hercules CD2
Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-218L Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 192 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -T "DATE=%y" -T "GENRE=%m" -8 -V %s
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.32 | 1:21.15 | 32 | 6121
2 | 1:21.47 | 6:04.60 | 6122 | 33481
3 | 7:26.32 | 1:54.00 | 33482 | 42031
4 | 9:20.32 | 5:52.00 | 42032 | 68431
5 | 15:12.32 | 6:18.00 | 68432 | 96781
6 | 21:30.32 | 1:33.43 | 96782 | 103799
7 | 23:04.00 | 3:27.12 | 103800 | 119336
8 | 26:31.12 | 2:29.53 | 119337 | 130564
9 | 29:00.65 | 3:05.55 | 130565 | 144494
10 | 32:06.45 | 4:50.62 | 144495 | 166306
11 | 36:57.32 | 2:45.50 | 166307 | 178731
12 | 39:43.07 | 1:35.70 | 178732 | 185926
13 | 41:19.02 | 2:53.30 | 185927 | 198931
14 | 44:12.32 | 2:56.00 | 198932 | 212131
15 | 47:08.32 | 2:24.40 | 212132 | 222971
16 | 49:32.72 | 2:14.35 | 222972 | 233056
17 | 51:47.32 | 2:16.00 | 233057 | 243256
18 | 54:03.32 | 5:51.40 | 243257 | 269621
19 | 59:54.72 | 1:34.35 | 269622 | 276706
20 | 61:29.32 | 7:37.00 | 276707 | 310981
21 | 69:06.32 | 2:03.10 | 310982 | 320216
22 | 71:09.42 | 1:06.43 | 320217 | 325209
23 | 72:16.10 | 2:16.10 | 325210 | 335419
24 | 74:32.20 | 3:11.12 | 335420 | 349756
Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename C:\Handel - Hercules CD2.wav
Peak level 93.3 %
Extraction speed 0.0 X
Range quality 100.0 %
Test CRC FA8565EA
Copy CRC FA8565EA
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [A63F1607]
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [B1A59509]
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [F0132216]
Track 4 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [48AB1001]
Track 5 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [0592DA37]
Track 6 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [120F292F]
Track 7 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [469B8904]
Track 8 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [4BF493E2]
Track 9 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [594EA7D6]
Track 10 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [B00556B1]
Track 11 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [4E8CD00A]
Track 12 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [EB11A676]
Track 13 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [135A88FA]
Track 14 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [211CB4A5]
Track 15 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [D41CA364]
Track 16 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [39A72D8D]
Track 17 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [7F082B7B]
Track 18 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [044A1487]
Track 19 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [16BFED1A]
Track 20 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [EA282A76]
Track 21 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [744BD5F0]
Track 22 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [0C76885A]
Track 23 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [1274DA6B]
Track 24 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [94568A3C]
All tracks accurately ripped
End of status report
==== Log checksum 280F90595192306D02132C1167B613A868133DD7EB1D7C9069891358663337A0 ====
Performer:
Hercules – John Tomlinson
Dejanira – Sarah Walker
Hyllus – Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Iole – Jennifer Smith
Lichas – Catherine Denley
The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
Conductor – John Eliot Gardiner