Join the Handel Consort & Quire for what they believe will be the NZ premiere of Handel's fantastic English opera - Semele, with a stellar line-up of soloists, chamber chorus and instrumentalists.

The floating, hauntingly beautiful tenor aria "Where'er you walk" is the most famous piece in Semele, (indeed one of the most famous in all of Handel's repertoire) but the opera contains a vast bank of incredible writing, much of it very virtuosic and highly dramatic. Join the Handel Consort & Quire for what they believe will be the NZ premiere of Handel's fantastic English opera - Semele, with a stellar line-up of soloists, chamber chorus and instrumentalists.

The floating, hauntingly beautiful tenor aria "Where'er you walk" is the most famous piece in Semele, (indeed one of the most famous in all of Handel's repertoire) but the opera contains a vast bank of incredible writing, much of it very virtuosic and highly dramatic.It is because of this, and the secular subject matter, and the relative lack of intricate choral writing that makes Semele an English opera and not an oratorio as some suggest.

The title role - sung by Rachel Alexander - contains some breathtakingly difficult writing, making huge demands on the singer and her technique.

A bird-aria makes cheerful use of trills and triplets imitating the playfulness of the avian species (while she sings of her 'warbling throat!'), while Juno (in a dramatic rage) vents her fury by singing 'Iris hence away!' which is preceded by one of the most astonishing of all Handel's accompanied recitatives where Juno commands Saturnia to 'seize, destroy and snatch the cursed Semele!' letting her fall to the flood of Acheron where she may never again see the light of day!

Semele, oblivious to all this earthly hum-drum, is more concerned with how she can make herself immortal and goes on to sing 'Myself I shall adore' as she gazes adoringly at herself in her mirrour (Handel's spelling).

Alas, after some stunning interchanges of vocal fireworks with Jupiter, Semele's ambitions get the better of her and she comes to a grim end amidst lighting bolts, which consume her life as she 'faints and burns' in a highly atmospheric piece of plaintive writing, accompanied by thunderclaps.

Soloists Rachel Alexander - Semele

Jayne Tankersley - Iris

Iain Tetley - Jupiter

Beverley Hicks - Juno & Ino

Stephen Diaz - Athamus

Edward Scorgie - Cadmus & Somnus

Bookings - send cheque to Handel Consort & Quire, 8 Parramatta Place, Howick.

Include your name, email, telephone and postal address for reply.

Door sales will be available, but booking is recommended for the best seats.

Saturday 17 May 7.30pm
Sunday 18 May 5pm
Pitt St Methodist Church
Tickets $35 Adult $30 Seniors $10 Students with ID
Enquiries/Bookings 535-5493

Handel Consort & Quire press release