THE SONGBIRD: The Swiss soprano Marie Lys was born in small village near Lausanne to a very musical family: both her parents are flautists and her mother plays in the Orchestre de Chambre de Fribourg. Lys studied violin initially, but switched to voice at the Music University in Fribourg and then went to London to study at the Royal College of Music, graduating in 2014. She won several voice competitions and cofounded the successful Abchordis Ensemble. Lys made her professional operatic debut in 2016 as Asteria in Buxton Festival’s production of “Tamerlano." She has sung across the globe in a variety of roles including Dalinda, Galatea, Cleopatra, Servilia, Adele, and Clorinda. This performance is conducted by George Petrou.
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. In this aria, Semele looks into a mirror that Juno has put a spell on to reflect Semele's image to herself as godlike. 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.