Semele

Semele’s father, the King of Thebes, has arranged a marriage for her with Athamas, a Prince of Boeotia. But Semele has no desire to marry Athamas. She desperately prays to Jupiter for his help to escape this arranged marriage. Jupiter appears as a vast thunderstorm and destroys the temple, before transforming into an eagle and taking Semele to live with him. With Jupiter, Semele lives a life of endless pleasure and love.

Jupiter’s wife, Juno, has had quite enough of his affairs. This time, she means to get her revenge against Jupiter. Disguising herself as Semele’s sister, she uses Semele’s vanity and pride to her advantage. She shows Semele a vision of herself as immortal, and tells her that she will be able to achieve immortality if she only looks on Jupiter in his true form. Semele demands that Jupiter reveals himself to her, and he is forced to obey, knowing that it will kill her. A baby is born out of Semele’s ashes, who will become Bacchus, the god of wine and ecstacy.

Originally created as a secular oratorio, Handel’s Semele is now widely accepted as a work of operatic genius rivalling the successes of his Italian operas such as Alcina and Giulio Cesare.

Act 1

Scene 1

• No. 1 Overture
• No. 2 Recitative ‘Behold! Auspicious flames arise’ - Priest (Cadmus)
• No. 3 Chorus ‘Lucky omens’ - Chorus
• No. 4 Recitative ‘Daughter, obey’ - Cadmus, Athamas
• No. 5 Recitative ‘Ah me! What refuge is now left me?’ - Semele
• No. 5 (cont.) Aria ‘O Jove! In pity teach me’ - Semele
• No. 6 Aria ‘The morning lark’ - Semele
• No. 7 Recitative ‘See, she blushing turns her eyes’ - Athamas
• No. 8 Aria ‘Hymen, haste!’ - Athamas
• No. 9 Recitative ‘Alas! She yields’ - Ino, Athamas, Semele
• No. 10 Quartet ‘Why dost thou thus untimely grieve’ - Cadmus, Ino, Athamas, Semele
• No. 11 Chorus ‘Avert these omens, all ye powers!’ - Chorus
• No. 12 Recitative ‘Again auspicious flames arise’ - Cadmus
• No. 13 Recitative ‘Thy aid, pronubial Juno, Athamas implores!’ - Athamas, Semele
• No. 14 Chorus ‘Cease, cease your vows’ - Chorus

Scene 2

• No. 15 Recitative ‘O Athamas, what torture has thou borne!’ - Ino
• No. 16 Aria ‘Turn, hopeless lover’ - Ino
• No. 17 Recitative ‘She weeps!’ - Athamas
• No. 18 Aria ‘Your tuneful voice my tale would tell’ - Athamas
• No. 19 Recitative ‘Too well I see’ - Ino, Athamas
• No. 20 Duet ‘You’ve undone me’ - Ino, Athamas

Scene 3

• No. 21 Recitative ‘Ah, wretched prince’ - Cadmus, Athamas, Ino

Scene 4

• Recitative ‘See, see! Jove’s Priests and holy Augurs come’ - Cadmus
• No. 22 Chorus ‘Hail, Cadmus, hail!’ - Chorus
• No. 23 Aria ‘Endless pleasure, endless love’ - Semele, Chorus

Act 2

• No. 24 Sinfonia

Scene 1

• No. 25 Recitative ‘Iris, impatient of thy stay’ - Juno, Iris
• No. 26 Aria ‘There from mortal cares retiring’ - Iris
• No. 27 Recitative ‘No more! I’ll hear no more!’ - Juno
• No. 28 Recitative ‘Awake, Saturnia, from thy lethargy!’ - Juno, Iris
• No. 29 Aria ‘Hence, Iris, hence away!’ - Juno

Scene 2

• No. 30 Aria ‘Oh, sleep, why dost thou leave me?’ - Semele

Scene 3

• No. 31 Recitative ‘Let me not another moment’ - Semele
• No. 32 Aria ‘Lay your doubts and fears aside’ - Jupiter
• No. 33 Recitative ‘You are mortal and require’ - Jupiter
• No. 34 Aria ‘With hope desiring’ - Semele
• No. 35 Chorus ‘How engaging, how endearing’ - Chorus
• No. 36 Recitative ‘Ah me’ - Semele, Jupiter
• No. 37 Aria ‘I must with speed amuse her’ - Jupiter
• No. 38 Chorus ‘Now Love, that everlasting boy’ - Chorus
• No. 39 Recitative ‘By my command’ - Jupiter, Semele
• No. 40 Aria ‘Where’er you walk’ - Jupiter

Scene 4

• No. 41 Recitative ‘Dear sister, how was your passage hither?’ - Semele, Ino
• No. 42 Aria ‘But hark! The heavenly sphere’ - Ino
• No. 43 Duet ‘Prepare then, ye immortal choir!’ - Semele, Ino
• No. 44 Chorus 'Bless the glad earth’ - Chorus

Act 3

Scene 1

• No. 45 Introduction
• No. 46 Recitative ‘Somnus, awake!’ - Juno, Iris
• No. 47 Aria ‘Leave me, loathsome light!’ - Somnus
• No. 48 Recitative ‘Dull god, canst thou attend the water’s fall?’ - Iris, Juno
• No. 49 Aria ‘More sweet is that name’ - Somnus
• No. 50 Recitative ‘My will obey’ - Juno, Somnus
• No. 51 Duet ‘Obey my will, thy rod resign’ - Juno, Somnus

Scene 2

• No. 52 Aria ‘My racking thoughts’ - Semele

Scene 3

• No. 53 Recitative ‘Thus shaped like Ino’ - Juno, Semele
• No. 54 Aria ‘Myself I shall adore’ - Semele
• No. 55 Recitative ‘Be wise, as you are beautiful’ - Juno, Semele
• No. 56 Aria ‘Thus let my thanks be paid’ - Semele
• No. 57 Recitative ‘Rich odours fill the fragrant air’ - Juno, Semele

Scene 4

• No. 58 Aria ‘Come to my arms’ - Jupiter
• No. 59 Recitative ‘Oh, Semele! Why art thou thus insensible?’ - Jupiter
• No. 60 Aria ‘I ever am granting, you always complain’ - Semele
• No. 61 Recitative ‘Speak, speak your desire’ - Jupiter, Semele
• No. 62 Symphony
• No. 63 Recitative ‘You’ll grant what I require?’ - Semele, Jupiter
• No. 64 Aria ‘Ah, take heed what you press!’ - Jupiter
• No. 65 Aria ‘No, no I’ll take no less’ - Semele

Scene 5

• No. 66 Recitative ‘Ah, whither is she gone?’ - Jupiter

Scene 6

• No. 67 Aria ‘Above measure is the pleasure’ - Juno

Scene 7

• No. 68 Recitative ‘Ah me! Too late I now repent’ - Semele

Scene 8

• No. 69 Recitative ‘Of my ill-boding dream’ - Ino
• No. 70 Chorus ‘Oh, terror and astonishment!’ - Chorus
• No. 71 Recitative ‘How I was hence removed’ - Ino, Cadmus, Athamas
• No. 72 Aria ‘Despair no more shall wound me’ - Athamas
• No. 73 Recitative ‘See from above the bellying clouds descend’ - Cadmus

Final Scene

• No. 74 Symphony
• No. 75 Recitative ‘Apollo comes to relieve your care’ - Apollo
• No. 76 Chorus ‘Happy, happy shall we be’ - Chorus