Pacfiic Opera Victoria presents Handel's SEMELE

IN BRIEF
Pacific Opera Victoria presents Handel's SEMELE February 12, 14, 17, 19
and 21, 2009 at the Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street in Victoria.
Performed in English with English surtitles. Running time is
approximately two hours and forty five minutes with one intermission.
All performances begin at 8pm. Pre-performance lectures begin at 6:45pm.
Priced between $25 and $110, tickets are available from the Royal and
McPherson Box Office at (250) 386-6121, or on-line at www.rmts.bc.ca.

Student RUSH tickets for those presenting valid student identification
are available at the door of the theatre, 45 minutes prior to each
performance, subject to availability. RUSH tickets are $15, inclusive
of all box office charges.

IN FULL
Pacific Opera Victoria presents the company premiere of Handel's SEMELE,
at The Royal Theatre in Victoria, February 12, 14, 17, 19 and 21, 2009.

Based on a Greek myth and a libretto by William Congreve, SEMELE
(pronounced SEH-meh-lee), is the story of the delectable Semele and the
god Jupiter, who tempt fate with a dangerously imprudent love affair.
Semele, a girl with ambitions, craves immortality. She also has a
terrifying secret: she is pregnant with Jupiter's child. After Jupiter
carries Semele off to enjoy "endless pleasure, endless love," his wife,
Juno, plots a fiery finish to the affair.

George Frideric Handel was one of the finest Baroque composers; in fact
Beethoven called him the greatest composer that ever lived. He made his
name writing Italian operas before turning his attention to English
oratorios - unstaged dramatic works, often on biblical themes. When
SEMELE premiered as an oratorio in 1744, it offended nearly everyone.
The story was far too profane to be a "proper" oratorio; in fact Charles
Jennings, the librettist of Handel's Messiah, called SEMELE "a baudy
opera." However, as it was neither staged nor in Italian, purists at
the time could not consider it an opera.

Handel's luscious music, dead-on characterizations, and sense of
dramatic momentum make SEMELE an irresistible operatic treat for modern
audiences. As part of a resurgence in the popularity of Baroque music,
SEMELE is now performed in fully staged productions around the world.

Award-winning Maestro Timothy Vernon conducts this production, which
Director Wim Trompert has set in the 19th century - a time when an
unmarried girl's pregnancy would be particularly scandalous. Brian
Perchaluk makes his company debut with a stunning set and costumes that
evoke the neo-classical design of the Victorian age.

Nathalie Paulin, (POV's The Tempest) is recognized worldwide for her
mastery of the baroque repertoire. She returns to POV to portray Semele,
a role she created recently for Chicago Opera Theater. Acclaimed
Canadian tenor and Victoria native Benjamin Butterfield (POV'S Don
Giovanni)), sings the role of Jupiter, and Anita Krause (POV's Norma)
sings the roles of Juno and Ino. They are joined by Scott Belluz,
Nathaniel Watson and Anne Grimm, who make their company debuts as
Athamas, Somnus/Cadmus and Iris.

CBC Radio will record Pacific Opera Victoria's production of SEMELE for
national broadcast on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.

Performed in English with English surtitles, Pacific Opera Victoria's
production of SEMELE runs February 12, 14, 17, 19, and 21, 2009 at the
Royal Theatre in Victoria. All performances begin at 8pm. Priced
between $25 and $110, tickets are available from the Royal and McPherson
Box Office at (250) 386-6121 or www.rmts.bc.ca.

Student RUSH tickets for those presenting valid student identification
are available at the door of the theatre, 45 minutes prior to each
performance, subject to availability. RUSH tickets are $15, inclusive
of all box office charges.

For more information, please contact Pacific Opera Victoria at (250)
385-0222 or visit www.pov.bc.ca.

To celebrate Handel's legacy, four Victoria arts organizations - Pacific
Baroque Festival, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Early Music Society of the
Islands, and the Victoria Symphony - are collaborating to present a
festival of music by Handel and his contemporaries, February 3 through
22, 2009. A full schedule of events for Handel Celebration 2009 can be
found at www.pov.bc.ca/handel.html