Royal Opera House, London
Running time: 3 hours
Age Restrictions: Recommended for 16+
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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 was last staged at the Royal Opera House in 1982, and had its first staged performances in Covent Garden over 280 years ago, in 1744.
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
Bow Street
London
WC2E 9DD
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Originally called the Theatre Royal, it served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later Handel's first season of operas began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.
The current building is the third theatre on the site following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1857. The façade, foyer and auditorium date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s. The Royal Opera House seats 2,268 people and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The proscenium is 12.20 m wide and 14.80 m high. The main auditorium is a Grade 1 listed building.
Travel by train: Charing Cross. Nearest tube: Covent Garden
