The Heirs of Tantalus: From the House of Atreus to the Palace of Nero
Salon/Sanctuary Concerts presents
The Heirs of Tantalus
From the House of Atreus to the Palace of Nero
The Broad Street Ballroom, 41 Broad Street, NY, NY 10004
Jessica Gould, soprano & Jose Lemos, countertenor
Jory Vinikour, harpsichord & Deborah Fox, theorbo
Members of The Sebastians
Costume Design by Kathleen Doyle
Script and Stage Direction by Erica Gould
Guest Actors, featuring Ethan Peck as Orestes
Greek myth and Roman history refracted through the prism of the baroque, The Heirs of Tantalus weaves words of the Greek tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides, biting commentary of the Roman historian Suetonius, and music of Monteverdi, Scarlatti and Handel into a depraved tapestry of hubris, blood-lust, and vengence.
With music from the operas L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Agrippina, and the cantatas Io Son Nerone and Agrippina Condotta a Morire, three actors and two singers take on multiple roles in this site-specific performance, staged at a repurposed bank originally designed to replicate a Roman temple.
“Gould and Lemos blended exquisitely…a pleasingly mathematical elegance in a swift-moving performance, without overstatement or extraneity”
– Billevesees
“The audience was treated to an operatic version of I Claudius: gruesome yet amusing at the same time.”
–Seen and Head International