Opera or oratorio? There is still uncertainty about the classification of Handel's "Semele". What is certain is that this full-length work is filled with musical gems and lends itself well to staged performances due to its fast-paced plot.
Handel's "Semele", which premiered in February 1744, is based on an adapted version of William Congreve's (1670-1729) opera libretto titled "The Story of Semele", originally published in 1706. However, neither Handel nor his librettist referred to "Semele" as an opera or even an oratorio, which, according to the understanding at the time, would have required a biblical and/or Christian subject matter. Therefore, the libretto for the premiere was titled "The Story of Semele", and for the second series of performances, it was simply referred to as "Semele". Contemporary audiences also disagreed on the genre, as letters mention both opera and oratorio, with the latter term apparently used because "Semele" was never staged but always performed "after the manner of an oratorio". The problematic classification as an oratorio has persisted into the present day, likely due to the edition labeled as such by Chrysander. The "Halle Handel Edition" distances itself from this classification and, considering the available sources, refrains from assigning a genre label. Among Handel's works, "Hercules", composed around the same time as "Semele", bears the closest resemblance. Handel referred to "Hercules" as a "musical drama", and the most appropriate designation for "Semele" would also be a "musical drama".
Congreve deviates from the mythological source multiple times in order to create tensions among the characters. The desired marriage between Semele and Athamas, whom she does not love, is an addition by Congreve to provoke the envy of her sister Ino, who desires Athamas herself. Therefore, Ino sees her own advantage in Semele's abduction by Jupiter. While Jupiter's wife Juno decides to destroy Semele out of jealousy for his relationship with her, Jupiter brings Ino to his palace to console Semele. The vengeful Juno takes advantage of Ino's presence and transforms into her likeness, persuading Semele to carry out a plan that later proves fatal. In the preface to his edition, Congreve even addressed the transformation of Juno into Ino instead of Semele's former nurse Beroe as a justifiable alteration of the myth to intensify conflicts between the characters. In the end, Ino emerges as the winner, as she is able to convince their father, Cadmus, to marry her to Athamas. The appearance of Apollo in the final scene to announce that Semele's immortal son Bacchus was saved from her ashes provides little consolation. However, this twist allows the drama to conclude with exuberant joy and a magnificent final chorus after the tragic scenes in the third act, culminating in the death of the protagonist.
Handel began working on "Semele" in the summer of 1743. The autograph score shows significant deviations from and numerous revisions of the original version premiered. The role of Athamas, originally composed for a tenor, had to be rewritten by Handel for the countertenor Daniel Sullivan. Additionally, Handel removed or replaced arias with shorter musical pieces. The role of the god of love, Cupid, who was supposed to have an aria, was ultimately eliminated as well. As a result, Handel's "Semele" no longer contains any passages from Congreve's libretto explicitly addressing adultery and sexuality. All surviving early versions and the musical passages removed before the premiere are included in the appendix of the "Halle Handel Edition" (HHA).
The moderate success of "Semele" in February 1744 can be attributed to competing opera productions and the subject matter, which was neither biblical nor Christian, deemed inappropriate entertainment during the Lenten season. Handel performed the drama two more times in December 1744. The extensively abridged version of this series included, partly as replacements for removed musical pieces, five Italian arias from his operas "Alcina", "Arminio", and "Giustino", as well as an English aria titled "Somnus rise, thyself forsake". The music of this previously lost aria is reconstructed for the first time in the HHA based on plausible source evidence. Thus, the HHA provides the foundation for reviving the December 1744 version of "Semele" for future performances.
Hendrik Wilken