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Handel: Semele

Rosemary Joshua (Semele), Hilary Summers (Juno/Ino), Richard Croft (Jupiter), Stephen Wallace (Athamas), Brindley Sherratt (Cadmus/Somnus) & Gail Pearson (Iris), David Croft (Apollo)

Early Opera Company (on period instruments), Christian Curnyn

Handel: Semele

Awards:

In the title role, soprano Rosemary Joshua applies light and graceful tone and conveys Semele's wilful, pleasure-seeking nature. As her immortal lover Jupiter, tenor Richard Croft is equally...

BBC Music Magazine, January 20083 out of 5 stars

More reviews

Handel: Semele

Rosemary Joshua (Semele), Hilary Summers (Juno/Ino), Richard Croft (Jupiter), Stephen Wallace (Athamas), Brindley Sherratt (Cadmus/Somnus) & Gail Pearson (Iris), David Croft (Apollo)

Early Opera Company (on period instruments), Christian Curnyn

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3 CDs

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Awards:

In the title role, soprano Rosemary Joshua applies light and graceful tone and conveys Semele's wilful, pleasure-seeking nature. As her immortal lover Jupiter, tenor Richard Croft is equally...

BBC Music Magazine, January 20083 out of 5 stars

More reviews

About

Contents and tracklist

Excerpt,Handel: Semele
Work length7:43
No. 1, Ouverture
Track length2:33
Allegro - Adagio
Track length3:41
Gavotte
Track length1:29
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act I Scene I
Work length27:47
No. 2, Behold! auspicious flashes rise! (Cadmus)
Track length1:23
No. 3, Lucky omens bless our rites (Chorus)
Track length3:14
No. 4, Daughter, obey (Cadmus)
Track length0:55
No. 5, Ah me! What refuge now is left me? (Semele)
Track length2:42
No. 6, The morning lark to mine accords his note ( Semele)
Track length7:25
No. 7, See, she blushing turns her eyes (Athamus)
Track length0:16
No. 8, Hymen, haste, thy torch prepare (Athamus)
Track length4:45
No. 9, Alas! she yields (Ino)
Track length0:41
No. 10, Why does thou thus untimely grieve (Cadmus)
Track length3:03
No. 11, Avert those omens, all ye pow'rs! (Chorus)
Track length2:00
No. 12, Again auspicious flashes rise (Cadmus)
Track length0:38
No. 13, Thy aid, pronubial Juno, Athamus implores (Athamus)
Track length0:13
No. 14, Cease, cease your vows, 'tis impious to proceed (Chorus)
Track length0:32
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act I Scene II
Work length15:44
No. 15, O Athamus, what torture hast thou borne! (Athamus)
Track length0:28
No. 16, Turn, hopeless lover, turn thy eyes (Ino)
Track length8:01
No. 17, She weeps! The gentle maid, in tender pity (Athamus)
Track length0:17
No. 18, Your tuneful voice my tale would tell (Athamus)
Track length3:50
No. 19, Too well I see (Ino)
Track length0:42
No. 20, You've undone me (Ino)
Track length2:26
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act I Scene III
Work length2:08
No. 21, Ah, wretched Prince, doom'd to disastrous love! (Cadmus)
Track length2:08
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act I Scene IV
Work length6:22
No. 22, Hail, Cadmus, hail! Jove salutes the Theban King (Chorus)
Track length1:29
No. 23, Endless pleasure, endless love (Semele)
Track length4:53
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act II
Work length1:36
No. 24, Sinfonia. Presto
Track length1:36
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act II Scene I
Work length10:20
No. 25, Iris, impatient of thy stay (June)
Track length0:47
No. 26, There, from mortal cares retiring (Iris)
Track length3:39
No. 27, No more - I'll hear no more (Juno)
Track length2:04
No. 28, Hence, Iris, hence away (Juno)
Track length3:50
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act II Scene II
Work length2:54
No. 30, O sleep, why dost thou leave me? (Semele)
Track length2:54
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act II Scene III
Work length23:28
No. 31, Let me not another moment (Semele)
Track length0:19
No. 32, Lay your doubts and fears aside (Jupiter)
Track length3:06
No. 33, You are mortal, and require (Jupiter)
Track length0:17
No. 34, With fond desiring (Semele)
Track length3:21
No. 35, How engaging, how endearing (Chorus)
Track length3:03
No. 36, Ah me! (Semele)
Track length1:07
No. 37, I must with speed amuse her (Jupiter)
Track length3:56
No. 38, Now Love that everlasting boy invites (Chorus)
Track length2:21
No. 39, By my command' (Jupiter)
Track length1:03
No. 40, Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade (Jupiter)
Track length4:55
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act II Scene IV
Work length7:44
No. 41, Dear sister, how was your passage hither? (Semele)
Track length0:40
No. 42, But hark! the heav'nly sphere turns round (Ino)
Track length2:25
No. 43, Prepare then, ye immortal choir (Ino and Semele)
Track length1:56
No. 44, Bless the glad earth with heav'nly lays (Chorus)
Track length2:43
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III
Work length1:27
No. 45, Sinfonia. Larghetto e piano per tutto
Track length1:27
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene I
Work length10:03
No. 46, Somnus, awake (Juno)
Track length0:31
No. 47, Leave me, loathsome light (Somnus)
Track length3:25
No. 48, Dull God, canst thou attend the water's fall (Iris)
Track length0:30
No. 49, More sweet is that name (Somnus)
Track length2:26
No. 50, My will obey (Juno)
Track length1:14
No. 51, Obey my will, thy rod resign (Juno)
Track length1:57
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene II
Work length2:41
No. 52, My racking thoughts by no kind slumbers freed (Semele)
Track length2:41
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene III
Work length13:09
No. 53, Thus shap'd like Ino (Juno)
Track length1:25
No. 54, Myself I shall adore (Semele)
Track length7:16
No. 55, Be wise, as you are beautiful (Juno)
Track length1:47
No. 56, Thus let my tanks be paid (Semele)
Track length2:19
No. 57, Rich odours fill the fragrant air (Juno)
Track length0:22
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene IV
Work length11:57
No. 58, Come to my arms, my lovely fair (Jupiter)
Track length2:50
No. 59, O Semele (Jupiter)
Track length0:06
No. 60, I ever am granting (Semele)
Track length1:34
No. 61, Speak, speak your desire (Jupiter)
Track length0:37
No. 62, You'll grant what I require (Semele)
Track length0:09
No. 63, Then cast off this human shape which you wear (Semele)
Track length0:16
No. 64, Ah, take heed what you press (Jupiter)
Track length1:14
No. 65, No, no! I'll take no less (Semele)
Track length5:11
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene V
Work length3:05
No. 66, Ah! whither is she gone! unhappy fair! ( Jupiter)
Track length3:05
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene VI
Work length2:23
No. 67, Above measure (Juno)
Track length2:23
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene VII
Work length3:07
No. 68, Ah me! too late I now repent (Semele)
Track length3:07
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene VIII
Work length10:10
No. 69, Of my ill-boding dream (Ino)
Track length0:11
No. 70, O terror and astonishment! (Chorus)
Track length3:59
No. 71, How I was hence remov'd (Ino)
Track length0:41
No. 72, Despair no more shall wound me (Athamus)
Track length5:06
No. 73, See from above the bellying clouds descend (Cadmus)
Track length0:13
Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene IX
Work length5:07
No. 74, Sinfonia
Track length1:19
No. 75, Apollo comes to relieve your care (Apollo)
Track length0:43
No. 76, Happy, happy shall we be (All)
Track length3:05

Awards and reviews

January 2008

In the title role, soprano Rosemary Joshua applies light and graceful tone and conveys Semele's wilful, pleasure-seeking nature. As her immortal lover Jupiter, tenor Richard Croft is equally lucid and nimble. This is the first Semele… recorded complete with period instruments. But it's not enough to match John Nelson's vividly theatrical version on modern instruments.
3 out of 5 stars

A most satisfying and enjoyable account of Handel’s sex-centred oratorio. Rosemary Joshua catches all of Semele’s vanity, her sensuality and her ambition while still managing to make her likeable. If the rest of the cast is a notch below her lead, the whole thing has a wonderful freshness
and vitality.

January 2008

…Rosemary Joshua, radiant of tone, dazzling in coloratura, makes Semele far more than an over-sexed airhead. …a clear first choice for an over-enticing work.

2010

Rosemary Joshua, with her crystal-bright soprano, sings brilliantly in her famous big aria 'Myself I shall adore', crisply pointed with neat triplets. Richard Croft as Jupiter sings with a pleasant light tenor...Christian Curnyn directs the whole opera stylishly and his cast is uniformly strong.
3 out of 4 stars
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