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Overview

Synopsis

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.

Show Information

Music
George Frederic Handel
Libretto
William Congreve
Based on the Play/Book/Film
Ovid's Metamorphosis
Category
Opera
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
1744
Genres
Romance, Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Tragedy, Historical/Biographical
Settings
Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings, Period
Time & Place
Antiquity, Ancient Times, Temple of Juno, Somnus's Cave, Olympus, Thebes, Cithaeron
Cast Size
medium
Orchestra Size
Small
Dancing
Optional
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
College/University, Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast

Context

Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Jupiter

Lead

Male

Tenor

Semele

Lead

Female

Soprano

Ino

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto

Juno

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto

Cadmus

Supporting

Male

Bass

Athamas

Supporting

Male

Countertenor, Contralto

Somnus

Supporting

Male

Bass

Iris

Supporting

Female

Soprano

Apollo

Featured

Male

Tenor

High Priest of Juno

Featured

Male

Bass

Chorus

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Tenor, Bass, Contralto

Songs

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

Act 2

  • No. 24 Sinfonia

Scene 1

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

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

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Scenes

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Guide Written By:

Wendy Silvester

Wendy Silvester

Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.