When The Gods Meddle, Look Out

The subject matter for French baroque opera tends towards the loopy and Semele by Marin Marais is no exception. Princess Semele is promised by her father as a prize to a victorious general but she loves a more humble boy who turns out to be the god Jupiter in disguise, who has become smitten by this human. Semele is delighted when this is revealed but the general is miffed and asks Jupiter's godly wife Juno to intervene. All ends badly and the city is destroyed along with everyone in it when Jupiter is forced to reveal himself in all his awesome godliness. But hey, Semele gets installed at Juno's right hand in the land of the gods so all is not necessarily lost. So far, so silly but once one has read the synopsis it can thankfully be ignored in this fine performance by Le Concert Spirituel under Herve Niquet. Aided by a fine chorus and soloists, Marais's fine music is done full justice. The whole is built upon the essence of the dance and while there are no real standout arias, the pace moves smartly along and there are memorable tunes in the instrumental interludes of preludes and dances. This is a work that is unlikely to enter the performance repertoire which makes this recording all the more important as a document. It can be listened to as delightful baroque music making without bothering too much about the work's standing as an opera.