A still from the opera “Semele” staged by the Zurich Opera House - Photo: Courtesy of organizer

The event is part of the From Alpha to Opera project of the Saigon Classical Music group, which introduces famous operas with Vietnamese and English subtitles.

There will be a discussion about opera hosted by composer Tran Nhu Vinh Lac prior to the screening.

The three-act comic opera “Semele” was composed by German, later British, composer George Frideric Handel based on a pre-existent opera libretto by English playwright and poet William Congreve. It was first presented in concert form at Covent Garden Theater in February 1744.

“Semele” is one of Handel’s most popular works worldwide. The opera is about erotic upheaval between gods and mankind. Princess Semele has a liaison with the god Jupiter and becomes so megalomaniac as a result that she desires to be immortal like him. Jupiter’s jealous wife Juno engineers an intrigue that eventually brings about Semele’s demise.

The Zurich Opera House’s production featured Italian mezzo-soprano opera singer Cecilia Bartoli as Princess Semele. Sensuous, complex and psychologically sophisticated, Semele is one of Handel’s finest female figures, in a drama of ambition, vanity and seduction.

With renowned Handel specialist William Christie’s musical direction, the machinations of both gods and mortals are vividly brought to life. SGT

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