George Loomis on a performance of Hasse’s “Semele” by Haymarket Opera Company in Chicago.

LONDON — No opera is short of heartbreak, but in “Semele,” sorrow is wrapped in beautiful fabrics. The Handel opera from 1744 has been reimagined by Oliver Mears, the director of opera at the Royal ...

There’s nothing inherently modern about John Eccles “Semele.” Written at the beginning of the 18th century, the Baroque opera narrates an Ancient Greek myth about a mortal protagonist whose jealousy ...

Semele is a timeless tale from Greek antiquity about the pitfalls of ambition, vanity, and making open-ended promises. Stage Director Kristine McIntyre, whose most recent collaboration with Pittsburgh ...

When the opera “Semele” opens Wednesday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the stage will hold some extra weight: two sumo wrestlers, totaling 700 pounds, and a 17-ton, 450-year-old temple. “Semele,” a ...

For its first-ever production of Handel’s sparkling, irresistibly tuneful “Semele,” Seattle Opera has pulled out all the stops. Aware that this is only the third work by Handel to grace the company’s ...

Oliver Mears’ sharp 1960s reimagining of Handel’s ‘bawdy opera’ explores psychological trauma, but offers little of the work’s wit, warmth or joy Pretty Yende & Ben Bliss (Photo: The Royal Opera ©2025 ...

The style that guides the creepiness, with an ominous fireplace central in Annemarie Woods’ pointedly chilly, unpretty designs, isn’t always there in the singing (Woods, incidentally, also designed ...

Semele is playing at the Royal Opera House on various dates until 18 July. Beautiful music, glorious singing and a doubtful production combine to create mixed feelings about Handel's Semele at the ...