Semele
Intro
Semele
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685 - 1759)
From 13/12/2005 in Ghent - from 04/01/2006 in Antwerp
- Musical direction: Michael Hofstetter
- Director: Robert Carsen
- Semele: Laura Claycomb
- Jupiter: Marlin Miller
- Juno: Sara Fulgoni
- Ino: Laura Nykänen
Georg Friedrich Händel wrote Semele after his Italian operas, during a period when the majority of his compositions were oratorios. The great importance of the chorus and the richness of the accompanied recitatives certainly connect it with the works immediately preceding it, such as theMessiah and Samson.
It tells the story of Semele, the daughter of the king of Thebes, who falls passionately in love with the supreme god Jupiter. Jupiter’s consort, Juno, wants to punish both her husband’s infidelity and Semele’s hubris.
Händel’s fable of vanity and careerism is believed to hint at extramarital activities of King George II – a subtext that director Robert Carsen exploits in his brilliant production by transposing it to the marital problems of the current royal family of Great Britain.
Practical
Surtitles: Dutch.
Team
- Musical direction
- Director
- Set design
- Costumes
- Dramaturgy
-
Choreography
Philippe Giraudeau
- Chorus master
- Semele
- Jupiter
- Juno
- Ino
- Cadmus
- Somnus
- Athamas
- Iris
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