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Topic: Semele oratorio

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Semele

George Friedrich Handel

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	Oratorio - LoveToKnow 1911 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		ORATORIO, the name given to a form of religious music with chorus, solo voices and instruments, independent or at least separable from the liturgy, and on a larger scale than the cantata.
		The Christmas Oratorio, a set of six closely connected church-cantatas for performance on separate days, is treated in exactly the same way as the Passions, with a larger proportion of non-dramatic choruses expressive of the triumphant gratitude of Christendom.
		Handel discovered and matured every possibility of oratorio as an art-form, except such as may now be brought to light by those composers with whom the influence of Wagner is not too overwhelming for them to consider how far his principles are applicable to an art unconnected with the stage.
	www.1911encyclopedia.org /O/OR/ORATORIO.htm (2651 words)

	Semele
		In Greek mythology, Semele (Roman equivalent: Stimula), daughter of Cadmus, was the mother of Dionysus (the Roman Bacchus by Zeus.
		Curious, Semele demanded of Zeus that he reveal himself in all his glory as proof of his godhood.
		The story was the basis of an oratorio, Semele, by George Frideric Handel, first performed in 1744.
	www.ebroadcast.com.au /lookup/encyclopedia/st/Stimula.html (165 words)

	Long Beach Opera \| 2006-2007 Season
		Semele is really an English opera and perhaps the finest of the kind written between the death of Henry Purcell in 1695 and the twentieth century.
		Semele tells him that she is uneasy when she compares her mortality to his godliness, causing Jupiter to be alarmed by her ambition.
		Because Semele was the mother of the god Dionysos, knowing her story is an essential part of understanding the nature of the Greek god of wine and the theatre.
	www.longbeachopera.org /index.php4?id=200502 (3242 words)

	Online Review London -Semele
		Semele's approaching wedding to the innocuous Boeotian prince, Athamas, is just a foil to establish Semele's reluctance and her secret, forbidden love of Jupiter.
		Semele is flirting with forbidden love and in the process made enemies in high places with considerably longer planning and more power than she.
		Semele thinks this is for good and she has won the lottery.
	www.onlinereviewlondon.com /reviews/Semele.html (822 words)

	Semele - Handel (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Semele was a Theban princess and the only mortal to be the parent of a god, that God none other than Dionysus/Bacchus, offspring of Semele's union with Zeus/Jupiter.
		Handel wrote Semele (to a libretto by William Congreve, in turn based on Ovid) as an opera, but in its early productions it was staged as oratorio; styles had changed in London and oratorios were a lot easier on the budget as well.
		Opera or oratorio, there is a certain static quality to these baroque works, constructed of a series of set pieces; modern audiences are generally more accustomed to a less stylized dramatic flow.
	www.culturevulture.net /Opera/Semele.htm (827 words)

	Juilliard \| The Juilliard Journal Online
		Semele’s dilemma is that she is in love with an immortal, Jupiter, but can no longer endure the uncontrollable, all-too-human pains that accompany love’s pleasure—feelings of jealousy, abandonment, and doubt.
		Playing on Semele’s desire to become immortal, Juno cunningly instructs her to demand that Jupiter appear in his immortal guise, for if Semele does so, she will immediately be transformed to an immortal being.
		One of many examples of this comes in Semele’s Act I entrance arioso, “Ah me! What refuge now is left me.” A solo violin punctuates the phrases of Semele’s lament to Jupiter with virtuosic echoes that suggest her loneliness in a human world she abhors.
	www.juilliard.edu /update/journal/149journal_story.asp (1593 words)

	Semele - WiccanWeb.ca (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		In Greek Mythology, Semele, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, was the mother of Dionysus (the god and his votaries were both identified as "Bacchus") by Zeus, in one of the two parallel origin-myths of Dionysus.
		The name Semele, like other elements of Dionysiac cult (thyrsus, dithyramb) are manifestly not Greek (Burkert 1985), apparently Thraco-Phrygian (Kerenyi 1976 p 107; Seltman 1956); the myth of Semele's father Cadmus gives him a Phoenician origin.
		The story of Semele formed the basis for the secular oratorio, Semele (1744) by George Frideric Handel and for the opera, Semele (opera) (1707) by John Eccles.
	www.wiccanweb.ca /wiki/index.php/Semele (539 words)

	Handel Semele Soloists, Chorus & Orchestra of English National Opera/Laurence Cummings, 18th November, 2004 (CC) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Semele is abducted by an eagle (Jupiter) in the nick of time and in Act II is seen frolicking (and how) with her new man (read god).
		Semele wants to elevate her human status, and it is Juno (Jupiter’s wife, appearing as Ino) who sets a trap for Semele.
		True, here in Semele one could only marvel at how he could sing nicely and effectively and shag at the same time (how distracting must that have been), but even here it was Carolyn Sampson’s (Semele’s) spot-on pitching and purity of tone that impressed the more.
	www.musicweb.uk.net /SandH/2004/May-Aug04/semele1811.htm (684 words)

	Dramatic Themes in Eccles's Semele (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The opera is rich with interpretive possibilities and subtext, and I will present an analysis of the music that supports a view of the opera as a dramatically unified whole.
		The first manner in which the music supports the drama is in the Baroque figures that accompany certain themes or dramatic situations in the opera.
		Semele's ambition is accompanied by a stock chord progression, while grief and despair are accompanied by slow dotted rhythms and repeated notes.
	www.robertkelleyphd.com /semele.htm (268 words)

	Semele Sings Anyway - June 7, 2005 - The New York Sun
		It was one drawback of this "Semele" that couldn't be attributed to its conductor's absence.
		The strengths of this "Semele" rest ed in its small, plucky orchestra under the last-minute leadership of concert mistress Pauline Kim and organist and harpsichordist Walter Hilse.
		Handel wanted his "Semele" to be irresistible; it's hard to fall for someone who keeps checking a book in front of her to find out what to do next.
	www.nysun.com /article/15006 (773 words)

	Amazon.ca: Semele: Music: George Frideric Handel,John Eliot Gardiner,David Evan Thomas,Norma Burrowes,Maldwyn ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Indeed, it is the tragic unfolding of the fate of Semele alongside Ino's unrequited love for Athamas, her sister's betrothed, that for me is the appeal of this opera, besides the wealth of lovely tunes.
		Her first accompanied recitative where she condemns "the cursed Semele" to "the flood of Acheron" has to be heard to be believed.
		This is a very satisfying recording of "Semele", even more so if you like its price, however, if you want a first class recording of this opera and if you are willing to pay for a 3 CD set, get the Deutsche Grammophon "Semele" conducted by Nelson.
	www.amazon.ca /Semele-George-Frideric-Handel/dp/B000005EA0 (1872 words)

	Drama in the music. Robert Hugill muses on the staging of Handel's oratorios
		This first oratorio used an English chorus but singers from the Italian opera singing in a mixture of English (of a sort) and Italian.
		Semele was, after all, based on an English opera libretto by Congreve.
		It is hard to describe Semele and Hercules as 18th century operas because Handel adapted the libretto to his own purposes and both works include large-scale static choruses of a form which would seem to have precluded them being fully staged in Handel's own day.
	www.mvdaily.com /articles/2005/09/handel2.htm (554 words)

	Opera goes for Baroque with 'Semele'
		The difference between opera and oratorio is that the latter is not acted and staged.
		It works really well: Semele is having an affair with the king of the gods, and Jupiter's wife, Juno, is jealous and suggests to Semele that she demand to see Jupiter in his true, divine form.
		When Semele makes the demand, Jupiter cannot refuse and displays himself to her, incinerating the poor woman in the process.
	www.azcentral.com /ent/arts/articles/0122opera22.html (696 words)

	Semele Tickets - Cheap Semele Theater Shows Tickets At Onlineseats
		Eventually, Handel decided to compose the soothing music for the Semele, this was not a very easy task to compose the well adapted music for such a fine masterpiece but his thorough and consistent efforts made this really happened in July 1743.
		The most dramatic moment comes when; Semele thoroughly tried her best to gain eternal immortality as she tries her best to seduce the Jupiter and when she saw him trapped she bluntly refused his lusty advances as he tried to make love to her, with full of passion.
		Semele received its very first modern stage revival in the year of 1925 in Cambridge.
	www.onlineseats.com /theater/semele-tickets/index.asp (1033 words)

	Baby Name Semele - Origin and Meaning of Semele
		She was the heroine in English composer G.F. Handel's oratorio.
		Semele has 2 variant forms: Samelle and Semelle.
		Semele is a very rare female first name and a very rare surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census).
	www.thinkbabynames.com /meaning/0/Semele (146 words)

	Of young turks and ancient gods - smh.com.au
		It seems that show business in 18th-century London was a political minefield: Handel's rival, Lord Middlesex, was so outraged at the racy and decadent Semele that he hired ruffians to loiter near Handel's Covent Garden theatre and harass audiences on their way home, turning a night at the opera into a dangerous business.
		Add to that the gloom over the prospects of war in Europe and at home, and Handel's controversial choice of subject matter and it was perhaps no surprise people stayed away.
		Semele opens tonight at City Recital Hall, with further performances on Friday, Saturday and next Monday nights.
	www.smh.com.au /articles/2002/12/03/1038712934393.html (721 words)

	PlaybillArts: Features: Sex, Drugs and Baroque Opera
		Semele could easily be seen as a representation of the over-ambitious royal mistress who uses her sexual power to manipulate a weak-willed monarch.
		This use of the solemnity of oratorio at the opening and close of Semele to balance the operatic drama of the central story is one of the work's particular strengths, with each element dramatically complimenting the other.
		Semele is a witty but scathing satire on the power of sexuality to cloud the judgment of those in office and on the ambitions of those who seek power from them.
	www.playbillarts.com /features/article/5126.html (1994 words)

	Encyclopedia (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The name Semele, like other elements of Dionysiac cult (thyrsus, dithyramb) are manifestly not Greek (Burkert 1985), apparently Phrygian (Kerenyi 1976 p107) and the myth of her father Cadmus gives him a Phoenician origin.
		When he grew up, Dionysus rescued his mother from Hades, and she became a goddess on Mount Olympus, with the new name Thyone.[http:/www.theoi.com/Kronos/Thyone.html] The setting for the story of Semele is the palace that occupied the acropolis of Thebes, called the Cadmeia.
		There is a certain Nysa, a mountain most high and richly grown with woods, far off in Phoenice, near the streams of Aegyptus..." The story formed the basis for the secular oratorio, Semele (1744) by George Frideric Handel and for the opera, Semele (1707) by John Eccles.
	simple.seowaste.com /Semele (376 words)

	Amazon.com: Oratorio Arias: Music: Handel,Daniels,Nelson (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The rest come from relatively obscure oratorios (or operas--the distinction is often blurred).
		But the work that Handel did in the development of the oratorio alone gives him the right to rank among the greatest of those to whom we owe the modern forms of music.
		The oratorio 'Saul' centres on the celebrated trio of Saul,David and Jonathan.
	www.amazon.com /Oratorio-Arias-Handel/dp/B000066I62 (1900 words)

	Semele
		In Greek mythology, Semele, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, was the mother of Dionysus (the god and his votaries were both identified as "Bacchus") by Zeus.
		The setting for the story of Semele is the palace that occupied the acropolis of Thebes, called the Cadmeia.
		The story formed the basis for the secular oratorio, Semele (1744) by George Frideric Handel and for the opera, Semele (1707) by John Eccles.
	www.mlahanas.de /Greeks/Mythology/Semele.html (500 words)

	High 5 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		For those of you new to the singing world, an oratorio is a large musical composition uniting instrumentalists, soloists and choirs, sung in concert framework.
		Well Semele, the beautiful mortal, is depicted as Marilyn Monroe, Jupiter (Zeus/ Jove), and Juno (Hera) are outfitted in costumes recognizable as popular Kennedy attire.
		My favorite scene was Junoâs manipulation of Semele (whose desperate desire to be a goddess caused her to fall like Paris Hiltonâs hit single) in a room filled with huge magazine cover portraits of Semele/ Marilyn Monroe in various seductive poses.
	www.highfivetix.org /aspx/Buzz/AllegraSemele.aspx (819 words)

	Handel's Messiah
		These oratorios were almost always dramatic narratives, functioning like English operas composed for concert performances in theatres such as Covent Garden.
		A suggestion of how Handel expected the organ to be used in his oratorios.
		Merrill Knapp: "The Luke 2 portions of Bach's Christmas oratorio and Handel's Messiah" in A Bach tribute: Essays in honor of William H. Scheide.
	gfhandel.org /messiah.htm (2273 words)

	Amazon.ca: Semele Comp: Music: George Frideric Handel,John McCarthy,John Nelson,Ambrosian Opera Chorus,English Chamber ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The sensuous "Semele" was censured in its day as a "bawdy opera"--possibly because it was written in English, and the English audience could actually understand what was happening on stage.
		Semele, the beautiful, ambitious mistress of Jupiter, has got to be Kathleen Battle's perfect role.
		Battle is insuperable as Semele and her singing is absolutely faultless (if you ignore the breaths!) She effortlessly executes the fiendishly difficult arias, and throws in some tingling top notes for added measure.
	www.amazon.ca /Semele-Comp-George-Frideric-Handel/dp/B000001GGP (1669 words)

	‘Semele' Looks in the Mirror - September 15, 2006 - The New York Sun
		I was perfectly willing to accept that Semele was Marilyn Monroe and Juno was Jackie Kennedy.
		The small pit orchestra was superb as usual, although I must lay at least some of the blame for the clash of musical styles on conductor Antony Walker, who never seemed quite comfortable in either Handelian or Chuck Berry idiom.
		What's next for " Semele?" Well, maybe for the revival, City Opera can cast John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
	www.nysun.com /article/39716 (694 words)

	Edinburgh Evening News - What's On - Godlike show pure pleasure (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Suddenly she’s throwing her score to the floor and marching off to the side of the stage to complain about the way her father and fiance are treating her - and pray to Jupiter to take her away.
		By the end of the act, Semele is lying on a cloud singing the lines "endless pleasure, endless love - Semele enjoys above" as the chorus gawp up at her.
		And Semele is not only a sumptuous feast of spectacle, but a very witty telling of the story from a cast - soloists and chorus alike - intent on peopling that tale with multi-dimensional characters
	edinburghnews.scotsman.com /whatson.cfm?id=293662005 (615 words)

	Berliner Barock Solisten - Press Review (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		In his concert with the Berliner Barock Solisten, which included four arias from Georg Friedrich Handel’s oratorio "Semele," the German-Canadian tenor plumbed the depths of the palette of emotions experienced by an amorous Zeus.
		Once she has paid with her life for her request to gaze upon Zeus in divine form, Schade gives vent to wrath and despair over her demise in "Ah whither is she gone." Coming to excellent effect here are forceful, menacing chords from the powerfully expressive strings.
		Hercules’ triumphs and eventual demise are narrated in song by the hero’s son Hyllus.
	www.berlinerbarocksolisten.de /e/press2004_06.html (494 words)

	Introduction to Euripides Bacchae Background After Euripides
		(This part of the story is told in the Handel-Congreve oratorio Semele.) She was prematurely delivered of a child by Zeus whom she was carrying.
		Some, including Semele's sisters, even call Semele a wanton who claimed Zeus was the father of her child to hide her shame; they say the lightning was Zeus' punishment.
		Note the thematic emphasis of this ode on Semele and the idea of birth, and how apt this is in a hymn to Dionysus, the spirit of growth.
	www.columbia.edu /~kdc2101/ebz5/lithum/asemester/Bacchae.html (3245 words)

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