Semele

Album by George Frideric Handel & Kathleen Battle & Marilyn Horne & Samuel Ramey & John Aler & Sylvia McNair & Michael Chance & John Nelson

Semele is an English-language oratorio by George Frideric Handel, first performed in 1744. Blending Baroque orchestral writing with operatic vocal writing, it features dramatic arias, recitative and choral passages and occupies a transitional place in Handel's career as he moved from Italian opera towards English oratorio in the 1740s.
BaroqueClassical

About

Disc 1

  1. 1.
    Semele: Ouverture. Gavotte
    9:03
  2. 2.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Accompagnato "Behold! auspicious flashes rise!" (Priest)
    1:26
  3. 3.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Chorus "Lucky omens bless our rites" (Priests)
    3:07
  4. 4.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative and Arioso "Daughter, obey, hear and obey!" (Cadmus, Athamas)
    0:57
  5. 5.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Accompagnato "Ah me! What refuge now is left for me?" - Air "O Jove! in pity teach me which to choose" (Semele)
    2:43
  6. 6.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Air "The morning lark to mine accords his note" (Semele)
    7:04
  7. 7.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative "See, she blushing turns her eyes" (Athamas)
    0:17
  8. 8.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Air "Hymen, haste, thy torch prepare" (Athamas)
    4:38
  9. 9.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative "Alas! she yields, and has undone me" (Ino, Athamas, Semele)
    0:48
  10. 10.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Quartetto "Why dost thou thus untimely grieve" (Cadmus, Ino, Athamas, Semele)
    2:44
  11. 11.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Chorus "Avert these omens, all ye pow'rs!" (Priests)
    1:59
  12. 12.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Accompagnato "Again auspicious flashes rise" (Cadmus)
    0:38
  13. 13.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative "Thy aid, pronubial Juno, Athamas implores!" (Athamas, Semele)
    0:17
  14. 14.
    Semele: Act I, Scene I. Chorus "Cease, cease your vows, 'tis impious to proceed" (Priests)
    0:36
  15. 15.
    Semele: Act I, Scene II. Recitative "O Athamas, what torture hast thou borne!" (Athamas)
    0:29
  16. 16.
    Semele: Act I, Scene II. Air "Turn, hopeless lover, turn thy eyes" (Ino)
    8:25
  17. 17.
    Semele: Act I, Scene II. Recitative "She weeps!" (Athamas)
    0:24
  18. 18.
    Semele: Act I, Scene II. Air "Your tuneful voice my tale would tell" (Athamas)
    4:55
  19. 19.
    Semele: Act I, Scene II. Recitative "Too well I see, thou wilt not understand me" (Ino, Athamas)
    0:47
  20. 20.
    Semele: Act I, Scene II. Duetto "You've undone me" / "With my life I would atone" (Ino, Athamas)
    2:28
  21. 21.
    Semele: Act I, Scene III. "Ah, wretched prince, doom'd to disastrous love!" - "Wing'd with our fears and pious haste" - "O prodigy, to me of dire portent!" / Scene IV. "See, see, Jove's Priests and holy Augurs come"
    2:07
  22. 22.
    Semele: Act I, Scene IV. Chorus "Hail Cadmus, hail!" (Priests, Augurs)
    1:34
  23. 23.
    Semele: Act I, Scene IV. Air and Chorus "Endless pleasure, endless love" (Semele, Chorus)
    4:30

Disc 2

  1. 2.
    Semele: Act II. Sinfonia
    1:30
  2. 3.
    Semele: Act II, Scene I. Recitative "Iris, impatient of thy stay" (Juno, Iris)
    0:46
  3. 4.
    Semele: Act II, Scene I. Air "There from mortal cares retiring" (Iris)
    3:26
  4. 5.
    Semele: Act II, Scene I. Recitative "No more - I'll hear no more!" (Juno) - Accompagnato "Awake Saturnia from thy lethargy!" (Juno, Iris)
    1:55
  5. 6.
    Semele: Act II, Scene I. Air "Hence, Iris, hence away" (Juno)
    3:23
  6. 7.
    Semele: Act II, Scene II. Air "O sleep, why dost thou leave me?" (Semele)
    3:09
  7. 8.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "Let me not another moment bear the pangs of absence" (Semele)
    0:16
  8. 9.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "Lay your doubts and fears aside" (Jupiter)
    3:02
  9. 10.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "You are mortal and require time to rest" (Jupiter)
    0:23
  10. 11.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "With fond desiring" (Semele)
    2:53
  11. 12.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Chorus "How engaging, how endearing" (Loves, Zephyrs)
    3:06
  12. 13.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "Ah me!" - "Why sighs my Semele?" (Semele, Jupiter)
    1:23
  13. 14.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "I must with speed amuse her" (Jupiter)
    3:44
  14. 15.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Chorus "Now Love that everlasting boy invites" (Loves, Zephyrs)
    2:21
  15. 16.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "By my command" (Jupiter, Semele)
    1:17
  16. 17.
    Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "Where'er you walk" (Jupiter)
    4:53
  17. 18.
    Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Recitative "Dear sister, how was your passage hither?" (Semele, Ino)
    0:46
  18. 19.
    Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Air "But hark! the heav'nly sphere turns round" (Ino)
    2:13
  19. 20.
    Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Duetto "Prepare then, ye immortal choir" (Semele, Ino)
    2:01
  20. 21.
    Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Chorus "Bless the glad earth with heav'nly lays" (Nymphs, Swains)
    2:43

Disc 3

  1. 3.
    Semele: Act III. Symphony. Larghetto e piano per tutto
    1:21
  2. 4.
    Semele: Act III, Scene I. Accompagnato "Somnus, awake, raise thy reclining head!" (Juno, Iris)
    0:31
  3. 5.
    Semele: Act III, Scene I. Air "Leave me, loathsome light" (Somnus)
    3:07
  4. 6.
    Semele: Act III, Scene I. Recitative "Dull God, canst thou attend the water's fall" (Iris, Juno)
    0:40
  5. 7.
    Semele: Act III, Scene I. Air "More sweet is that name" (Somnus)
    2:14
  6. 8.
    Semele: Act III, Scene I. Recitative "My will obey, she shall be thine" (Juno, Somnus)
    1:22
  7. 9.
    Semele: Act III, Scene I. Duetto "Obey my will" / "All I must grant" (Juno, Somnus)
    1:52
  8. 10.
    Semele: Act III, Scene II. Air "My racking thoughts by no kind slumbers freed" (Semele)
    2:53
  9. 11.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "Thus shap'd like Ino" (Juno, Semele)
    1:13
  10. 12.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Air "Behold in this mirror" (Juno)
    2:40
  11. 13.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "O ecstasy of happiness" (Semele)
    0:19
  12. 14.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Air "Myself I shall adore" (Semele)
    6:39
  13. 15.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "Be wise, as you are beautiful" (Juno, Semele)
    0:37
  14. 16.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Accompagnato "Conjure him by his oath" (Juno)
    1:27
  15. 17.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Air "Thus let my thanks be paid" (Semele)
    2:13
  16. 18.
    Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "Rich odours fill the fragrant air" (Juno, Semele)
    0:31
  17. 19.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Air "Come to my arms, my lovely fair" (Jupiter)
    2:57
  18. 20.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Recitative "O Semele! Why art thou thus insensible?" (Jupiter) - Air "I ever am granting, you always complain" (Semele)
    1:42
  19. 21.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Recitative "Speak, speak your desire" (Jupiter, Semele)
    0:14
  20. 22.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Accompagnato "By that tremendous flood, I swear" (Jupiter)
    0:26
  21. 23.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Recitative "You'll grant what I require?" (Semele, Jupiter) - Accompagnato "Then cast off this human shape" (Semele)
    0:33
  22. 24.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Air "Ah, take heed what you press" (Jupiter)
    1:11
  23. 25.
    Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Air "No, no! I'll take no less" (Semele)
    5:13
  24. 26.
    Semele: Act III, Scene V. Accompagnato "Ah! whither is she gone!" (Jupiter)
    3:01
  25. 27.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VI. Air "Above measure is the pleasure, which my revenge supplies" (Juno)
    2:21
  26. 28.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VII. Accompagnato "Ah me! too late I now repent" (Semele)
    3:44
  27. 29.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Recitative "Of my ill-boding dream" (Ino)
    0:21
  28. 30.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Chorus "Oh, terror and astonishment!" (Chorus)
    3:55
  29. 31.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Recitative "How I was hence remov'd" (Ino, Cadmus, Athamas)
    0:59
  30. 32.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Air "Despair no more shall wound me" (Athamas)
    5:03
  31. 33.
    Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Recitative "See from above the bellying clouds descend" (Cadmus)
    0:17
  32. 34.
    Semele: Act III, Scene the last. Sinfonia
    1:28
  33. 35.
    Semele: Act III, Scene the last. Accompagnato "Apollo comes, to relieve your care" (Apollo)
    0:56
  34. 36.
    Semele: Act III, Scene the last. Chorus "Happy, happy shall we be" (Chorus)
    2:56

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