Semele

by George Frideric Handel; Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, Samuel Ramey, John Aler, Sylvia McNair, Michael Chance, John Nelson

Tracklist

CD 1

  1. Semele: Ouverture. Gavotte9:03
  2. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Accompagnato "Behold! auspicious flashes rise!" (Priest)1:26
  3. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Chorus "Lucky omens bless our rites" (Priests)3:07
  4. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative and Arioso "Daughter, obey, hear and obey!" (Cadmus, Athamas)0:57
  5. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Accompagnato "Ah me! What refuge now is left for me?" - Air "O Jove! in pity teach me which to choose" (Semele)2:43
  6. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Air "The morning lark to mine accords his note" (Semele)7:04
  7. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative "See, she blushing turns her eyes" (Athamas)0:17
  8. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Air "Hymen, haste, thy torch prepare" (Athamas)4:38
  9. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative "Alas! she yields, and has undone me" (Ino, Athamas, Semele)0:48
  10. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Quartetto "Why dost thou thus untimely grieve" (Cadmus, Ino, Athamas, Semele)2:44
  11. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Chorus "Avert these omens, all ye pow'rs!" (Priests)1:59
  12. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Accompagnato "Again auspicious flashes rise" (Cadmus)0:38
  13. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Recitative "Thy aid, pronubial Juno, Athamas implores!" (Athamas, Semele)0:17
  14. Semele: Act I, Scene I. Chorus "Cease, cease your vows, 'tis impious to proceed" (Priests)0:36
  15. Semele: Act I, Scene II. Recitative "O Athamas, what torture hast thou borne!" (Athamas)0:29
  16. Semele: Act I, Scene II. Air "Turn, hopeless lover, turn thy eyes" (Ino)8:25
  17. Semele: Act I, Scene II. Recitative "She weeps!" (Athamas)0:24
  18. Semele: Act I, Scene II. Air "Your tuneful voice my tale would tell" (Athamas)4:55
  19. Semele: Act I, Scene II. Recitative "Too well I see, thou wilt not understand me" (Ino, Athamas)0:47
  20. Semele: Act I, Scene II. Duetto "You've undone me" / "With my life I would atone" (Ino, Athamas)2:28
  21. Semele: Act I, Scene III. "Ah, wretched prince, doom'd to disastrous love!" - "Wing'd with our fears and pious haste" - "O prodigy, to me of dire portent!" / Scene IV. "See, see, Jove's Priests and holy Augurs come"2:07
  22. Semele: Act I, Scene IV. Chorus "Hail Cadmus, hail!" (Priests, Augurs)1:34
  23. Semele: Act I, Scene IV. Air and Chorus "Endless pleasure, endless love" (Semele, Chorus)4:30

CD 2

  1. Semele: Act II. Sinfonia1:30
  2. Semele: Act II, Scene I. Recitative "Iris, impatient of thy stay" (Juno, Iris)0:46
  3. Semele: Act II, Scene I. Air "There from mortal cares retiring" (Iris)3:26
  4. Semele: Act II, Scene I. Recitative "No more - I'll hear no more!" (Juno) - Accompagnato "Awake Saturnia from thy lethargy!" (Juno, Iris)1:55
  5. Semele: Act II, Scene I. Air "Hence, Iris, hence away" (Juno)3:23
  6. Semele: Act II, Scene II. Air "O sleep, why dost thou leave me?" (Semele)3:09
  7. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "Let me not another moment bear the pangs of absence" (Semele)0:16
  8. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "Lay your doubts and fears aside" (Jupiter)3:02
  9. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "You are mortal and require time to rest" (Jupiter)0:23
  10. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "With fond desiring" (Semele)2:53
  11. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Chorus "How engaging, how endearing" (Loves, Zephyrs)3:06
  12. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "Ah me!" - "Why sighs my Semele?" (Semele, Jupiter)1:23
  13. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "I must with speed amuse her" (Jupiter)3:44
  14. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Chorus "Now Love that everlasting boy invites" (Loves, Zephyrs)2:21
  15. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Recitative "By my command" (Jupiter, Semele)1:17
  16. Semele: Act II, Scene III. Air "Where'er you walk" (Jupiter)4:53
  17. Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Recitative "Dear sister, how was your passage hither?" (Semele, Ino)0:46
  18. Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Air "But hark! the heav'nly sphere turns round" (Ino)2:13
  19. Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Duetto "Prepare then, ye immortal choir" (Semele, Ino)2:01
  20. Semele: Act II, Scene IV. Chorus "Bless the glad earth with heav'nly lays" (Nymphs, Swains)2:43

CD 3

  1. Semele: Act III. Symphony. Larghetto e piano per tutto1:21
  2. Semele: Act III, Scene I. Accompagnato "Somnus, awake, raise thy reclining head!" (Juno, Iris)0:31
  3. Semele: Act III, Scene I. Air "Leave me, loathsome light" (Somnus)3:07
  4. Semele: Act III, Scene I. Recitative "Dull God, canst thou attend the water's fall" (Iris, Juno)0:40
  5. Semele: Act III, Scene I. Air "More sweet is that name" (Somnus)2:14
  6. Semele: Act III, Scene I. Recitative "My will obey, she shall be thine" (Juno, Somnus)1:22
  7. Semele: Act III, Scene I. Duetto "Obey my will" / "All I must grant" (Juno, Somnus)1:52
  8. Semele: Act III, Scene II. Air "My racking thoughts by no kind slumbers freed" (Semele)2:53
  9. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "Thus shap'd like Ino" (Juno, Semele)1:13
  10. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Air "Behold in this mirror" (Juno)2:40
  11. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "O ecstasy of happiness" (Semele)0:19
  12. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Air "Myself I shall adore" (Semele)6:39
  13. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "Be wise, as you are beautiful" (Juno, Semele)0:37
  14. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Accompagnato "Conjure him by his oath" (Juno)1:27
  15. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Air "Thus let my thanks be paid" (Semele)2:13
  16. Semele: Act III, Scene III. Recitative "Rich odours fill the fragrant air" (Juno, Semele)0:31
  17. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Air "Come to my arms, my lovely fair" (Jupiter)2:57
  18. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Recitative "O Semele! Why art thou thus insensible?" (Jupiter) - Air "I ever am granting, you always complain" (Semele)1:42
  19. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Recitative "Speak, speak your desire" (Jupiter, Semele)0:14
  20. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Accompagnato "By that tremendous flood, I swear" (Jupiter)0:26
  21. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Recitative "You'll grant what I require?" (Semele, Jupiter) - Accompagnato "Then cast off this human shape" (Semele)0:33
  22. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Air "Ah, take heed what you press" (Jupiter)1:11
  23. Semele: Act III, Scene IV. Air "No, no! I'll take no less" (Semele)5:13
  24. Semele: Act III, Scene V. Accompagnato "Ah! whither is she gone!" (Jupiter)3:01
  25. Semele: Act III, Scene VI. Air "Above measure is the pleasure, which my revenge supplies" (Juno)2:21
  26. Semele: Act III, Scene VII. Accompagnato "Ah me! too late I now repent" (Semele)3:44
  27. Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Recitative "Of my ill-boding dream" (Ino)0:21
  28. Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Chorus "Oh, terror and astonishment!" (Chorus)3:55
  29. Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Recitative "How I was hence remov'd" (Ino, Cadmus, Athamas)0:59
  30. Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Air "Despair no more shall wound me" (Athamas)5:03
  31. Semele: Act III, Scene VIII. Recitative "See from above the bellying clouds descend" (Cadmus)0:17
  32. Semele: Act III, Scene the last. Sinfonia1:28
  33. Semele: Act III, Scene the last. Accompagnato "Apollo comes, to relieve your care" (Apollo)0:56
  34. Semele: Act III, Scene the last. Chorus "Happy, happy shall we be" (Chorus)2:56