Credits:

Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists

Description:

Gardiner Re-records "Semele"! The 2019 London Live, which captivated audiences, is now available on CD in a delightful new edition "The age has finally caught up with the avant-garde nature of the work," says Gardiner, who has created a brilliant and moving masterpiece with his stunning interpretation! Gardiner and his handpicked Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists present "Semele", live in London 2019! Gardiner has not performed "Semele" since recording it in 1981, and this 2019 tour is the first time he has taken it up in quite some time. Louise Alder, one of England's most celebrated singers, took the title role, with young tenor Hugo Hymas as the amorous Jupiter. The London performance at the Alexandra Palace was a sell-out, and the audience was very much enchanted by the performance. The complete recording is now available on a 3-CD set! Semele" was written as an oratorio, but it is different from the oratorios of the time, which were based on biblical themes and developed in a quiet manner. It is based on a myth, but with a dramatic script filled with secular love and hate, and is capable of being performed as a complete opera. In this live performance, the orchestra is also on stage, and the singers perform with acting.The costumes were gorgeous and the stage was fresh, as if the orchestra and conductor had entered together on the opera stage. The arias were full of variety and charm, from the technical ajoritas to the dreamy and beautiful melodies, and the chorus played an important role in strengthening the story, while the orchestra gave the music a lively shape. Gardiner's conducting brought all of these together beautifully, resulting in music that is beautifully clear, strong, and free of hesitation. Gardiner said, "It has been nearly 40 years since we recorded 'Semele' before, and the times have finally caught up with this avant-garde work," and during this time, Gardiner's interpretation has also been further refined and made more brilliant. The story of "Semele" is based on Ovidius' "Metamorphoses." Semele, a human woman, falls in love with the god Jupiter and is taken to the heavenly realm, where she is violently envied by Euno, Jupiter's wife. Yuno lies to Semele that she can become an immortal god if she sees Jupiter's true form, and makes Jupiter dream lust-inducing dreams.Then Jupiter rushes to Semele and begs her to meet him now, as he swears by the waters of Styx and Mount Olympus that he will do whatever she says. Naturally, Semele asks to see him in his true form, and Jupiter, unable to disobey his sacred oath, sadly but reluctantly does so. It was Yuno's trap, for if a flesh-and-blood mortal were to see Jupiter's true form as the God of Thunder, he would be instantly consumed by its flames. Semele, however, left behind a divine child, who would later become the god Bacchus. The composition of this baroque opera, with its complex relationships on earth, adds depth to the music, and the arias that skillfully depict the emotions of the characters strike a chord with the audience. King International Inc.

Tracklisting:

1.Semele~Act I: Overture
2.Semele~Act I: Gavotte
3.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Accompagnato: Behold! Auspiciou7s flashes rise
4.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Chorus: Lucky omens bless our rites
5.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Recit., arioso and duet: Daughter, obey
6.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Recit.: Ah me!
7.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Air: O Jove! In pity teach me which to choose
8.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Recit.: Alas! she yields'
9.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Quartet: Why dost thou thus untimely grieve
10.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Chorus: Avert these omens, all ye pow'rs
11.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Recit.: Again auspicious flashes rise - Recit.: Thy aid, pronubial Juno, Athamas implores!
12.Semele~Act I, Scene 1: Chorus: Cease, cease your vows, 'tis impious to proceed
13.Semele~Act I, Scene 2: Recit.: Turn, hopeless lover, turn thy eyes - Recit.: She weeps!
14.Semele~Act I, Scene 2: Air: Your tuneful voice my tale would tell
15.Semele~Act I, Scene 2: Recit.: Too well I see
16.Semele~Act I, Scene 2: Duet: You've undone me
17.Semele~Act I, Scene 3: Recit.: Ah! wreched prince, doom'd to disastrous love! - Accompagnato: Wing'd with our fears and pious hate
18.Semele~Act I, Scene 3: Chorus: Hail Cadmus, hail!
19.Semele~Act I, Scene 4: Air and chorus: Endless pleasure, endless love
20.Semele~Act II, Scene 4: Duet: Prepare then, ye immortal choir
21.Semele~Act II, Scene 4: Chorus: Bless the glad earth with heav'nly lays
22.Semele~Act III, Scene 8: Chorus: O terror and astonishment!
23.Semele~Act III, Scene 8: Recit.: How I was hence remov'd
24.Semele~Act III, Scene 8: Air: Despair no more shall wound me
25.Semele~Act III, Scene 8: Recit.: See from above the bellying clouds descend
26.Semele~Act III, Scene 9: Sinfonia
27.Semele~Act III, Scene 9: Accompagnato: Apollo comes, to relieve your care
28.Semele~Act III, Scene 9: Chours: Happy, happy shall we be