Johann Adolf Hasse
LA SEMELE
O SIA LA RICHIESTA FATALE
LE MUSICHE NOVE – CLAUDIO OSELE
He [Hasse] may … be allowed to be as superior to all other lyric
composers, as Metastasio is to all other lyric poets.
Charles Burney
Following the critically acclaimed concert performances and recording of
Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra, Claudio Osele and Le Musiche Nove continue their
exploration of the work of Johann Adolf Hasse presenting La Semele, o sia la richiesta
fatale, a serenata composed for performance in Naples in the autumn of 1726.
The libretto by Francesco Ricciardi, who
already worked together with Hasse on
Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra, take us into the
mythological tale of Semele, her unfortunate
love for Giove and the enraged jealousy of
Giove’s wife, Giunone.
About 17 years before Handel, Hasse depicts the tragic love - yet happy ending - of
the mortal princess for the king of the gods with sensual tones and moments of high
drama.
Semele and Giunone are both soprano roles while Giove is a contralto. The
instrumentation comprises full strings orchestra and basso continuo.
Although the original cast is not known, based on the quality of the music we can
assume that, similar to the serenata Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra which was performed
just one year earlier by Farinelli and Vittoria Tesi, also for La Semele great vocal
virtuosi were engaged.
suggested cast
Semele: Roberta Invernizzi
Giunone: Karina Gauvin
Giove: Sonia Prina
Le Musiche Nove (8 violins, 2 violas, 2 violoncellos, 1 double bass, 1 theorbo, 1 harpsichord)
Claudio Osele, conductor
Le Musiche Nove
The period instruments ensemble is made up of sought-after musicians active in the
historically informed performance practice and interpretation. To date, Le Musiche Nove
has performed at many prestigious venues and festival in Europe and the United States,
including the Vienna Musikverein, the Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Berlin
Philarmonie and the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals.
www.lemusichenove.com
Claudio Osele
Following up on his investigations and discoveries in eighteenth-century manuscripts scores
and autographs, Claudio Osele founded Le Musiche Nove in 2001 with the goal of making
his research findings visibile and alive on stage and records. Since then, he has brought back
to music life many unjustly forgotten baroque works. His innovative activity is also evident
in the series of recordings with Cecilia Bartoli on which he acted as music consultant: The
Vivaldi Album, Opera Proibita, The Salieri Album and Gluck Italian Arias. A wide-ranging
project devoted to the rediscovery of the music by composers of the “Neapolitan” School
has originated several concerts and the CD Lava, featuring the soprano Simone Kermes,
followed-up by Colori d’Amore, a disc of almost all word-premiere recordings of music by
Scarlatti, Caldara, Broschi, Matteis and Bononcini. His recording of Marc’Antonio e
Cleopatra, featuring Vivica Genaux and Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli, has just been
released by DHM/Sony, the beginning of a long-term project devoted to the works of Johann
Adolf Hasse.