It’s like peeling an orange, you go beneath the surface to get the fruit, and you realize it’s more delicious than it looked on the outside. And whereas Tosca is plotted in a very linear fashion, cause and effect-if Cavaradossi hadn’t happened to see Angelotti come out of the chapel at that very moment, the rest of the opera wouldn’t have happened- Semele has a complicated setup and then moves in a more measured way. But its secrets are just hidden below the surface. Tosca overwhelms you with the force of its emotion, whereas by comparison Semele seems restrained. Now we’re doing this piece directly after Tosca, and I cannot think of two pieces more dissimilar. What I love about him is the humanity in his music, coupled with great style, elegance, and grace. You think you know opera because you’ve seen Tosca? Suddenly we give you a completely different way of getting to the same outcome: a highly charged, intense, thought-provoking and emotionally compelling evening in the theater.
I like it when the audience enter the theater and they do not know what is behind the curtain. Variety is not only the spice of life-it’s essential for us to understand the whole spectrum of this wonderful art form. For Semele to come so close on the heels of Tosca is the best way for our audience to appreciate that opera comes in many, many shapes and forms. When I came to Seattle and saw that Speight had organized Semele for this season, I was absolutely delighted, because for me a good season program consists of contrasts and variety. Semele is quite different from Tosca, our last opera. We checked in with Aidan the other day and got some pointers for getting the most out of Semele. Not only are we creating a new production, Semele is an opera we’ve never before presented-and a great masterpiece, too.
Of all the operas we’re presenting this season, Aidan Lang, General Director of Seattle Opera, is particularly excited about Semele.
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