Händel - Semele - William Christie, Cecilia Bartoli, Opera Zürich 2007Decca release 2009
Opera superstar Cecilia Bartoli offers her first operatic release on DVD in 12 years, and also her first opera in English. Bartoli stars as Semele (a role usually taken by a soprano) in Handel s late opera, which features such well-known arias as Endless pleasure, endless love, Myself I shall adore, and Oh sleep, why dost though leave me? Robert Carsen s stylish modern dress production hints at parallels with the problematic relationship between the late Princess Diana and the British Royal Family. Recorded live at the Zurich Opera House in January, 2007.
Sung dazzlingly, Myself I shall adore was one of many high points in Bartoli's stunning performance, her first operatic role in a language other than Italian...The wonderfully intimate Zurich Opera House allows every detail of her performance to be savoured. --International Herald Tribune
Cecilia Bartoli - Semele
Birgit Remmert - Juno
Liliana Nikiteanu - Ino
Charles Workman - Jupiter
Isabel Rey - Iris
Anton Schringer - Cadmus/Somnus
Thomas Michael Allen - Athamas
William Christie & Orchestra “La Scintilla” of the Zürich Opera, Chor des Opernhauses Zürich
