This was exquisitely sung. This song is beautiful because I imagine it was being a gift to Semele. A gift that’s swaddled in the most beautiful embellishments.
The story runs basically like this: Semele IS a human and would like to become a goddess. To accomplish this, she needs to make love to Jupiter 'in person' , as a man (so not disguised as swan, eagle or any other animal or substance such as a cloud). So it is dramatically quite justifiable that the singers are dressed like some of us dress. The style depends on your taste I guess. I happen to like the blues, and the bed is instrumental here.
Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade; Trees, where you sit, shall crowd into a shade: Where'er you tread, the blushing flow'rs shall rise; and all things flourish where'er you turn you eyes.
Yes, enjoy the music. In Handel’s day it was quite normal to write libretti about Greek and Roman myths - it didn’t mean that the writer believed in Jupiter etc., it was an accepted convention, which would be understood by the audience as well. This was called romanticism, and was a well-established tradition dating back to ancient times. Nobody for one moment thought that Handel or anyone else involved was a pagan. Listen to the Messiah or any of his other religious works and you’ll see what real belief sounds like!
A trill is absolutely a wide vibrato! Just a quick loose one. Loose larynx, keep the airflow going through it, and focus your ear on the two pitches you are alternating on. It takes focus, but you can do it!
Beautifully sung and played. How ever, ruined by yet another production in lounge suits and characterless frocks. It may still be trendy, but it is short hand for imagination. More like lack of it.Gods, reduced to middle aged middle class middle taste.When can we see an end to it, They sound like gods, let them look like them too.
