«Endless pleasure, endless love» – there is no lack of chemistry between Semele and Jupiter. The highest of the gods has taken a mortal woman as his lover, but Semele will be punished for her hubris. For in her calculations, she’s neglected to take Juno (Jupiter’s wife) into consideration. Semele’s fate dooms her to fall victim to Juno’s intrigues, and she ultimately perishes at Jupiter’s own lightning. Director Robert Carsen succeed in creating an imaginative and exuberant production, full of wit and satire, as he explored a piece which itself oscillates between opera and oratorio. He delightfully links the libretto’s allusions to the courtly practice of the time of keeping a mistress with the British royal family of recent times. His Juno, who is rather «not amused» by Jupiter’s romantic escapades, is the spitting image of the Queen (ravishingly embodied by contralto Birgit Remmert). Charles Workman is striking and vocally seductive as Jupiter – his is a god capable of deep human emotion. Cecilia Bartoli creates a Semele full of lust and sensuality, self-deprecating (as in «Myself I shall adore», the aria she sings to her own mirror image), and painfully touching to the very end. With her vast vocal range, Bartoli is able to plumb Semele’s soul to its very depths.

The remaining cast members are no less alluring: Liliana Nikiteanu as Ino, Thomas Michael Allen as Athamas, Anton Scharinger as the sleeping god Somnus, and Isabel Rey, who delivers a comical masterstroke as Iris, a short-sighted secretary, in the Deux-Pièce. A further important component is the Chor der Oper Zürich, which delivers an impressive performance. The many collaborations between the Orchestra La Scintilla and conductor William Christie (who conducts here from the harpsichord) have led to a tight bond of musical connection, both gratifying and sensitive, that imbues this performance with endless pleasure.