Semele

The Lowell House opera productions get better each year. This time it's the American premiere of Handel's Semele--not really an opera at all, but a dramatized oratorio. Dramatically, the presentation may not be very exciting, but from a purely musical standpoint, it well deserved the ovation it received.

Anne English, from the New England Conservatory, brought stature to the title role. Her big, well-disciplined voice and perfect diction made her the outstanding soloist of the evening. She sang the "Endless Pleasure," aria about the joys she expects to find in heaven as Jupiter's mistress, with Iyric fluency. The poorly danced, unimaginative ballet sequence that accompanied her, however, was distracting.

Handel was above all a choral composer, and the extensive passages for chorus in Semele require a first-rank ensemble with clear texture and plenty of volume. The Lowell Musical Society was very fortunate to have the services of Hewitt Pantaleoni '52, an industrious, capable chorus director. The group sounded nearly perfect in unison, as well as in the tricky polyphonic sections. There was precision and grace here not always found even in professional groups.

Transforming a good oratorio into a good opera is no easy task; co-directors Irving Yoskowitz and Ian Caden-head met with only partial success. There is very little action in this presentation, and not all of it can be blamed on the work itself. In Act III, the stage chorus has two long numbers in which it stands stationary, when it could just as easily be in motion. Also, there are a few awkward moments in Act I, when the stage is completely bare and the audience isn't sure whether or not there's more to come.

With these few exceptions, the presentation runs smoothly and pleasantly as it tells of the troubles of unhappy Semele, evil Juno, and pensive Jupiter. Margaret Roy's Juno is notable not so much for fine singing as for dramatic intensity. The same holds for Robert Peters, a virile but vocally undistinguished Jupiter.

For a change, the production can boast of an adequate orchestra. Usually the instrumentalists in a House opera are poorly rehearsed and technically inferior, but the Semele orchestra under Malcolm Holmes' direction, rivaled the chorus in clarity and beautiful tone.

The opera will be repeated tonight, and should draw another full house. However, the question still presents itself: why produce Semele at all? The idea of offering unknown works is a good one, but there are other unusual operas far more deserving of performance. The Lowell Society has demonstrated this year that it is a top-flight musical organization; perhaps next year they will present a top-flight opera.