Following sell-out success in Paris, a bold new production of Handel’s English-language masterpiece comes home to Covent Garden, directed by Oliver Mears. Witness the opera in the place where it was first heard back in 1744, starring Pretty Yende, who sings ‘the naive, besotted … Semele to perfection’ (The Times).
Installed as Jupiter’s lover in his luxurious home, Semele, a former servant in his household, can’t believe her good fortune. But Jupiter’s wife, Juno, concocts a plan for revenge that will bring ruin to her husband’s young lover. Uncanny, strange and darkly satirical, this new production is the latest instalment of The Royal Opera’s acclaimed Handel in Covent Garden series. Pretty Yende (who sang at the Coronation of King Charles III) performs the title role of Semele, with Ben Bliss, who makes his Royal Opera debut as her seductive but sinister lover. Brindley Sherratt, Carlo Vistoli and Alice Coote also star, conducted by Baroque specialist Christian Curnyn.
A Mythological Tale
Semele is a mortal woman who in the original myth, has an affair with the god Jupiter. Jupiter’s wife, Juno is furious, and in revenge, she tricks Semele into demanding that Jupiter reveal himself to her in his true form. The result? She is overwhelmed by his power, and consumed by fire. From her ashes, Bacchus is born, and later becomes the god of revelry, fertlity and agriculture. Semele’s story is a cautionary tale, with contemporary themes, such as power imbalances and sexual exploitation.
Visions of Paradise
The most famous aria in Handel’s musical drama is ‘Where’er you walk’, sung by Jupiter to reassure Semele. It is equally popular across the classical music community. ‘Where’er you walk / Cool gales shall fan the glade / Trees where you sit / Shall crowd into a shade,’ sings Jupiter, likening his palace gardens to paradise. Set to lyrics by Alexander Pope from the poet’s Pastorals, the aria is recognisable for its calm and serene manner, making it a popular wedding – and funeral – song.
Sensual Music
The opera is surprising in its sensuality, especially given that it was first performed during the season of Lent: a time when, in Handel’s day, austere religious subjects were typically preferred. Instead, Handel takes a mortal heroine from the world of ancient myth who revels in her own sexuality, with arias including: ‘Endless pleasure, endless love / Semele enjoys above’, ‘With bliss expiring, panting, fainting’, and ‘Myself I shall adore’. Sadly, Semele’s enjoyment is cut short, when she is tricked by Juno into demanding that Jupiter appear to her in his true form, with disastrous consequences.
Handel’s Covent Garden History
Semele is the latest instalment in The Royal Opera’s series of Handel’s Covent Garden works, which so far has included Susanna, the Olivier Award-winning Alcina, as well as Jephtha and Theodora. In many cases, these are works which have not been staged in their original home for upwards of 250 years, despite gaining popularity far beyond their Covent Garden origins. Semele is one such example, enjoying a homecoming over 280 years after its first performance in 1744.
