About the Opera

Notes Supplied by the Canadian Opera Company

Handel’s Semele offended many at its premiere in 1744. It was shocking in both its subject matter and style. While Handel had great success composing Italian operas for the London stage for much of his career, by 1738 public taste began to change and he made writing and producing oratorios the main business of his career. In composing Semele, however, the work took shape as an opera. When it was performed in London, pious oratorio purists who expected a high-minded religious work were insulted by Semele’s sexuality and opera aficionados were put off because it was in English rather than the then-accepted proper language of opera – Italian. Cast aside after its initial performance, Semele experienced a renewed enthusiasm in the mid-20th century that has not since diminished.

The Creative Team

Han Feng, sought-after for her fashion as well as costume and exhibition designs, plays with Zhang’s concept to create a fusion of Chinese theatre and European Baroque in the costumes enhanced by the magical lighting design originally conceived by Wolfgang Göbbel.

…Go to the COC's News Release

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Rinaldo Alessandrini, founder and conductor of the Italian early music ensemble Concerto Italiano, makes his COC debut conducting Semele, the first Handel opera performed at the Four Seasons Centre.

Thoughts About the Production and the Casting Choices

by Brian Hay

Semele, by George Handel isn't really an opera, at least not by definition anyway. Handel never really stopped writing operas. He just adjusted to a changing market by setting the music to a different language and dropping the cost of staging his productions. There are exceptions ('Messiah' being one) but, for the most the pieces, are comprised of narrative threads developed by the actions of their characters. Those, whether the characters are cast as Gods or Mortals, are as human as anything Handel ever set to music in the twenty odd years he spent writing Italian Opera. His ability to plumb the depths of the human condition musically grew organically until he stopped writing. The fact that his spoken command of the English language appears to have been somewhere between dicey and barbaric had little or no effect on that part of his writing. One thing that does set the Oratorios apart however is their extensive use of choral music. Unlike the Italian operas (in my experience anyway) Handel's Oratorios have an abundance of it.

Semele's story explores the circumstance of any young woman who finds herself as the Mistress of a powerful individual after a life of asking people if they'd like fries with that. She's spirited, impulsive and suddenly aware of the power of sex as a weapon. She's already in a position where where her her life is about to improve on a level where that's realistic for her but faced with the choice of reaching for heavens or just the sky, she opts for the heavens. Her consort is captivated by the charms of the youthful coquette who makes his wife seem like piece of old furniture. He shows her the grandeur and he makes all the right promises but he's as much a prisoner of his own station as she is. His wife is undoubtedly used to being cast aside periodically. She knows however, that as much as she loathes her husband' s dalliances, the two of them are bound together by something with much more power than either of them wield individually. Her confidante knowing this works tirelessly to bring events to their inevitable conclusion. Others come to her aid the same way and not necessarily out of love or loyalty; they simply understand what's at stake and know what's good for them. A young woman such as Semele has enough charm to attract a God (or a billionaire) but she lacks connections to any real power. In any age or any setting she's predestined to fail.

Director and Set Designer Zhang Huan's decision to set the story against an ancestral temple from the Ming Dynasty raises interesting possibilities visually and dramatically. According to the late novelist and historical researcher George MacDonald Fraser the artistic and architectural masterpieces such as the Summer Palace had become legendary (if largely unseen) for their beauty to people in the Western Nations by the middle of the nineteenth century. Yet, by contrast those beauties were almost as unknown to almost the entire of China as they were to people from the west. That society was divided into two distinct classes with the gulf between them being as great as that between night and day. Also according to Fraser the rule of the Ming was enforced with a level of brutality almost inconceivable in the Western world. This production casts the peasant girl Semele into a setting dominated by individuals whose ability to conceive masterpieces of grandeur is matched only by their capacity for ruthlessness.

Casting Jane Archibald in the title role looks like a perfect choice. She sings the roles of Alcina from the opera of that name and the role of Poppea from 'Agrippina'. They're both difficult parts so she knows Handel's musical traits well. He may not have pushed singers to reach Wagnerian high notes often but he didn't bother to give them time to breathe either. Regardless of the length of the passage or the strain it placed on their vocal agility figuring out that part seems to have been "up to them". Miss Archibald has the range and her coloratura is up to those demands. Her voice also has the lightness needed to really suit the role of the youthful and frivolous character, Semele. She's also attractive enough to make the attraction to her by the God Jupiter, believable. That's important in any casting of this story.

This production has a lot going for it. As an artist Huan has the opportunity to present a picture of harsh realities (which have never really changed) that exist amidst mans' capacity for creating works of inexplicable beauty. The story, despite its undercurrent of fatalism, has many openings for humour and the music is sublimely lovely.

It's all an artist could ask to work with and the result should be everything a viewer could wish for.

Special Note about The COC Ensemble's Performance of 'Semele'

The COC's Ensemble Studio is also presenting a fully staged performce of the production featuring Mireille Asselin in the title role.

I'm set to attend this performance.

There's a few reasons for the choice. After watching five of COC's productions this season I want to see a bitof how they help to develop artists to insure the future of the genre. I've seen Ambur Braid and Mireille Asselin in roles with Opera Atelier. I've also seen Mireille in a concert setting with Orchestra London. Phillipe Sly has been involved in a few of COC's productions this season as have others who appear in this production. Watching and artist or an organization develop is both thrilling and, also, essential if any real understanding of what "goes on" is to be had. Three years of covering Orchestra London's shows through their last year with Timothy Vernon as their Music Director through the year they worked without a Music Director and through their first year with Alain Trudel at the helm has been a huge eye-opener.

Notes about the Videos

The footage of Jane Archibald (top) singing 'Beim Schlafengehen' from the Four Last Songs by Strauss may have little to do with the repertoire 'Semele' is part of but it provides a good look at Jane Archibald. Her voice is light, silky and agile and her delivery seems effortless. Based on that and also on familiarity with the work she's an excellent choice for the role.

The footage of Rosemary Joshua singing 'Endless Pleasure' from the English National Opera's 1999 staging has been on the web for a while now. It's a delight to listen to and shows how right a lightly textured voice is for the part. Of note: the entire production is up on YouTube at the moment. If this was available on DVD I'd buy it in a heartbeat as it's vastly superior to the official release that showcased Cecilia Bartoli in the role. Normally Cecilia's work is excellent but her voice just sounds all wrong for the role.

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