New Production

Love affairs between gods and mortals rarely end well, as the titular heroine of Handel's Semele discovers. Created alongside librettist William Congreve, the work was first performed in February 1744 in London's famous Royal Opera House. One of the true masterworks of the Baroque period, it returns to London in a glorious new production by The Royal Opera, directed by Oliver Mears, starring Pretty Yende.

What Is The Story?

Semele is a young woman in the service of the household of Jupiter. Enchanted by Jupiter's power and seduced by his promises, she is swept into a passionate affair with him and revels in her newfound status. But Jupiter's jealous wife, Juno, has other plans. As ambition blinds Semele, her fate hurtles in only one direction.