Among the most unexpected titles in the 2025-2026 season at the Opéra national de Paris is Ercole Amante, a Baroque opera composed in 1707 by the Venetian Antonia Bembo. The work arrives at the Opéra Bastille between the end of May and mid-June and marks a significant moment in the rediscovery of a composer who for a long time remained on the margins of European musical history. Antonia Bembo, born in Venice in 1640 under the name Antonia Padoani, was a singer and composer in a world dominated almost exclusively by male figures. She studied with Francesco Cavalli, one of the leading figures of 17th-century Venetian opera, and developed in the creative climate of a city that was then one of the most vibrant centers of European musical theater. Her life changed radically after a difficult marriage. She left Venice and found refuge in France, where she was welcomed under the protection of Louis XIV. At the court of the Sun King, she continued to sing and compose, receiving a royal pension that granted her a certain amount of independence. This context gave rise to numerous cantatas and sacred works, but above all, her most ambitious opera, Ercole Amante. The libretto, written by Francesco Buti, tells a story drawn from the mythology of Hercules, intertwining amorous passions, family conflicts, and tragedies. The theme of the hero dominated by desire, incapable of escaping his human frailty, pervades the entire narrative and offers the composer the opportunity to construct an intense and complex musical dramaturgy. Musically, the opera reflects the cosmopolitan atmosphere of late 17th-century Paris. The tradition of Italian opera is complemented by elements typical of French taste, such as extensive choral sections and the use of dance. The score thus becomes a meeting point between two musical worlds that were redefining the aesthetics of European opera in those years. Despite the project's ambition, Ercole Amante was never performed during the composer's lifetime. The manuscript remained for centuries in the archives of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, almost forgotten. Only in recent decades has the interest of musicology and the movement to rediscover the Baroque repertoire brought the opera back to the attention of performers. The Paris Opera's production is part of this recovery process. Conducting the score is Leonardo García Alarcón, a musician who in recent years has devoted considerable attention to the rediscovery of little-known Baroque operas. The direction is entrusted to Netia Jones, while the role of Ercole is performed by bass-baritone Andreas Wolf.
