Sémélé

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For the opera by Handel, see Semele (Handel).
For the opera by Eccles, see Semele (Eccles).

Sémélé is an opera by Marin Marais first performed on April 9, 1709. The opera is in the form of a tragédie en musique with five acts and a prologue.

Marais's opera has been published in a modern performing score by France's Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, and the full opera was due to be given in Europe during the 2006 summer festival season.

A more well-known oratorio with the same title was later written by George Frideric Handel. Earlier, another opera, again with the same title, had been composed by John Eccles to a libretto by William Congreve.

[edit] Roles and role creators

  • Apollon, tenor (haute-contre) Beaufort
  • Sémélé, soprano Françoise Journet
  • Dorine, soprano Marie-Catherine Poussin
  • The grand priestess of Bacchus, soprano Dun
  • Junon, mezzo-soprano Françoise Dujardin
  • Adraste, tenor (haut-contre) Jacques Cochereau
  • Jupiter, baritone Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard
  • Mercure, baritone Jean Dun "pére"
  • Cadmus, grand priest of Bacchus, baritone Charles Hardouin
  • First shepherdess, soprano Aubert
  • Second shepherdess, soprano Daulin
  • Third shepherdess, soprano Boisé

[edit] Recordings

A recording of the work under the direction of Hervé Niquet was published by the firm Glossa [1].

A recording of instrumental music from the opera, performed by Wieland Kuijken and Montréal Baroque, was to be released in late 2006.

[edit] Sources

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