GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

Semele

Love, ambition, and divine retribution collide

8th, 12th, 14th August 2025

Amphitheatre, Waterperry Gardens

21st, 22nd August 2025

Opera Holland Park

With the Waterperry Opera Festival Orchestra.

A mortal woman dares to love a god in Handel's beautiful baroque drama. Virtuosic musical storytelling of tragedy and drama is brought to you through some of Handel’s most sumptuous and lyrical music. Follow a mythic story of love and ambition, staged in the atmospheric Waterperry amphitheatre.

Handel’s Semele follows a mortal woman caught in a passionate love affair with Jupiter, king of the gods. Although promised to Athamas, Semele is seduced by Jupiter and taken to his celestial palace, where she enjoys divine splendour and dreams of immortality. However, her new life in the heavens stirs jealousy in Juno, Jupiter’s wife, who begins to plot against her. As Semele’s desires grow and the tension between the gods heightens, the story explores themes of ambition, vanity, and rivalry.

Credits

Opera by George Frideric Handel
Libretto by William Congreve

Production Support

Production supported by Kaye & David Lillycrop, and Gini Gabbertas

Timings

Performance starts at 6:30pm. Approx finish 10pm.
Extended Dining Interval of 1 hr 15.

Tickets

Tickets start at £33, with a small booking fee.
Under 35s Tickets at £27, Under 16s Tickets at £20, Benefit Holder/HNS Blue Light Tickets at £33.

General Booking opens on the 8th April.

Language

In English.

Creative Team

  • Bertie Baigent

    CONDUCTOR

  • Rebecca Meltzer

    DIRECTOR

  • Jennifer Gregory

    DESIGNER

  • Catja Hamilton

    LIGHTING DESIGNER

Cast

  • Hilary Cronin

    SEMELE

  • Michael Lafferty

    JUPITER

  • Sophie Goldrick

    JUNO

  • Nathan Mercieca 

    ATHAMAS

  • Sarah Winn

    INO

  • Phil Wilcox

    CADMUS

  • Louise Fuller

    IRIS

  • James Micklethwaite

    APOLLO

  • Masimba Ushe

    SOMNUS / HIGH PRIEST

The Music

Handel’s Semele is a feast of vocal brilliance and orchestral colour, bursting with soaring melodies and virtuosic energy. The music sparkles with elegance one moment and dazzles with intensity the next. The playful Endless pleasure, endless love glides with light, dancing rhythms, while Where’er you walk is pure serenity, its flowing melody as effortless as a warm breeze. Then there’s the exhilarating Myself I shall adore, a whirlwind of rapid-fire notes that capture Semele’s growing obsession with immortality. Meanwhile, Juno’s fiery Hence, Iris, hence away drives forward with unstoppable momentum. Handel fills every note with character and drama, making Semele an irresistibly vibrant musical experience.

If you’re new to Semele, explore our Spotify playlist and discover its most dazzling moments.

FAQs

  • Handel’s Semele lasts approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes, including a 90-minute dining interval.

  • Semele is technically an oratorio, but it is often staged as an opera due to its dramatic plot and emotional music.

  • Yes! Semele features lush Baroque music, powerful arias, and an engaging mythological storyline, making it an excellent choice for newcomers.

  • At Waterperry Opera Festival, Semele is performed in English, with no surtitles.

  • Semele will be performed in the Amphitheatre at Waterperry Gardens.

  • The Amphitheatre has reduced accessibility. Disabled patrons should only book seats in the back row, as all other seating is on steep steps with no handrail. All seats in the amphitheatre now have chairs with backs.