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Apollo e Dafne and The Choice of Hercules at Shoreditch Town Hall (Photo: Craig Fuller)

Founded back in 1976, the London Handel Festival regularly shines a light on less familiar corners of the German-born, naturalised English composer’s output. This year’s theme was Fantasy, Myth and Legend – offering many possibilities in operatic mode.

Opera, though – clearly a major part of Handel’s output, but expensive to present -- formed part of this year’s package in the shape of two pieces from related genres: the early Italian cantata Apollo e Dafne (1709-10); and The Choice of Hercules, a short (some 50-minutes-long) secular oratorio premiered in London in 1751.

Unlikely that either was staged (or even contemplated to be staged) in Handel’s lifetime, but such dramatic elements as narratives and defined characters naturally tempts organisations to present them – as here -- in fully staged form.

Thomas Guthrie was responsible for directing the puppetry as well as the entire show, the former most prominent in the allegorical oratorio wherein the young Hercules must choose between Virtue and Pleasure and -- somewhat predictably in the way of such pieces -- opts for the former.

Dancing provided a major feature of both stagings, with six members of the New English Ballet Theatre liberally employed delivering Valentino Zucchetti’s busy choreography with panache.

Apollo e Dafne and The Choice of Hercules at Shoreditch Town Hall (Photo: Craig Fuller)

With their partially neoclassical references, Francisco Rodriguez-Weil’s designs were imaginatively lit by Emma Chapman and matched well with the striking venue itself – the grand 19^th-century Shoreditch Town Hall, whose acoustic turned out to work superbly for Handel’s music.

Positioning individual solo instrumentalists and singers as well as the chorus of specialist period ensemble La Nuova Musica under David Bates on a balcony, or in other parts of the auditorium, paid dividends visually as well as sonically: Bates’ direction, meanwhile, was sensitive and secure, motivating lively playing and singing from all concerned.

Of the principals, baritone Dan D’Souza’s Apollo registered positively despite a few weaker notes towards the end of the cantata, in which he was partnered as Dafne by the delectable soprano of Lauren Lodge-Campbell.

In the second piece her fellow soprano Madison Nonoa (Pleasure) and mezzo Bethany Horak-Hallett (Virtue) vied for the attentions of the young Hercules, prominently visualised by a white bust of the demi-god manoeuvred by puppeteers Tabitha Bingham and Ellie Peacock; but stealing this particular show vocally was countertenor James Hall, whose singularly beautiful tone and delicacy of line look certain to take him far.