Lyric Opera of the North
UNDER CONTRUCTION-back up soon!
Handel's forgotten Semele
Written two years after Handel's iconic masterpiece, Messiah, historically Semele has been caught between a rock and a hard place. Just when London audiences' taste was turning to oratorio, Handel wanted nothing more than to continue writing operas. Essentially, while calling his new drama an oratorio, Semele is clearly an opera or at best, a secular oratorio. Its characters are drawn from the mythology of ancient Greece like so many of the composer's earlier operas but the music reveals a complexity that reflects the glories of one of the worlds most popular classical works, Messiah. Like Messiah, it is originally in English.
Synopsis
Another story of hubris. Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, is betrothed to Athamas but she becomes the lover of the all-powerful, irresistable Jupiter who sets her up in a luxurious palace. The goddess Juno, Jupiter's wife, seeks to rid herself of this flirtation and get revenge so, through deception, she convinces Semele that she, too, is worthy of immortality. Too prove it, Semele is emboldened to ask Jupiter to grant her any wish--to see him in his true olympian form. Of course this is deadly to any mortal and so deceived, Semele perishes. Be careful what you wish for. . .
Performance dates
Performances at the Masonic Temple in Duluth are pending final confirmation. Stay tuned!.
