Rosemary Joshua - Handel: SEMELE, No, no! I'll take no less, London Proms 1996

THE SONGBIRD: Rosemary Joshua is Welsh; she attended the Welsh College of Music and the Royal College of Music on scholarships. Joshua made her debut at ENO in a small role in "Street Scene," and also sang Barbarina and Britten's Flora there. Her big break came in 1993 when she was cast as Angelica in Handel's "Orlando" at the Aix Festival, after Lynne Dawson declined because she had become pregnant. This began her career-long specialization in Handel's music, having since sung in dozens of opera productions and concerts. She sang Semele frequently in the 1990s, recording it for video at the ENO and commercially in the studio (both are on YouTube). Joshua has sung some standard lyric soprano repertoire as well -- including Gounod's Juliette, which I saw her do in San Diego in 1998. THE MUSIC: Handel's oratorio "Semele" premiered at Covent Garden in London in 1744. It was only performed six times during Handel's life, but regained popularity in the 20th Century and is now regularly performed in concert and as a staged opera. The plot centers around the god Jupiter taking human form for his affair with Semele, a beautiful self-involved mortal. Jupiter's wife Juno discovers this adultery and plots Semele's downfall by cunningly using Semele's own vanity against her. At Juno's persuasion that it will make her immortal, Semele insists that Jupiter reveal his full divine form to her -- he reluctantly agrees and his fiery thunderbolts destroy her. From her ashes arises Jupiter's son Bacchus, god of wine and festivities.