Rosemary Joshua (soprano); Hilary Summers (mezzo soprano); Richard Croft (tenor); Stephen Wallace (counter-tenor); Brindley Sherratt (bass); Gail Pearson (soprano); Early Opera Company; Christian Curnyn
Semele is on the Canadian Opera Company season 2011-2012 Stanley Sadie Handel Recording of the Year Award 2007
Members of the voting panel concluded that "Semele has long awaited a complete recording of Handel's first performance version performed on period instruments... this is a hugely important addition to the Handel discography, but also that it is a sheer sensual delight: Rosemary Joshua, Hilary Summers and Richard Croft provide singing that is both stylish and charismatic, the chorus and orchestra of the EOC perform vivaciously, and Curnyn's expert direction from the harpsichord has a completely natural feeling for the right tempo and maintains a fine dramatic momentum. This performance is fresh and direct, yet it is also subtle and shows an impeccable awareness of Handel's notation and contrasting sentimental characterisations."
Expanding on a libretto by William Congreve, Handel's Semele tells of the beautiful mortal Semele, whose short bu spectacular love affair with Jupiter, King of the Gods, comes to a terrifying end in consequence of both her own vanity and the machinations of Jupiter's insanely jealous wife Juno.
Written at the peak of Handel's powers, and derisively described at its premiere by one critic as 'no oratorio but a bawdy opera', this theatricl entertainment is crammed with Handel's most sparkling music: spectacular orchestral numbers and powerful choruses combine with heart-stopping arias, including the popular 'Where'er you walk'.
Here the work is performed by the Early Opera Company, conducted by Christian Curnyn, 'our finest young Handelian' (The Times), with Rosemary Joshua in the title role. Particularly noted as a Handel performer, Rosemary Joshua has built her international reputation singing such roles as Ginevra in Ariodante, Poppea in Agrippina, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare and of course Semele which she has given at Aix-en-Provence, the BBC Proms and at English National Opera. Her ENO performance earned her a nomination for the Olivier Award for 'Best Outstanding Achievement in Opera'.
She is joined by Hilary Summers and Gail Pearson, two other notabel Handelians, together with Richard Croft, Stephen Wallace and Brindley Sherratt. This recording was made following performances last summer (2006) at Grange Park Opera, which prompted Music and Vision to write, 'Rarely have I heard Semele sung so beautifully and to such good dramatic effect', and The Guardian to observe that 'with singing as entrancing as this, time just seemed to fly by. I look forward to the recording'.
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Price: $48.98