This piece is not actually an opera, but a staged oratorio. However, it has no biblical content, but depicts an episode from Greek mythology: the young Semele wants to escape her marriage to an unloved bridegroom and begs the god Jupiter for help, whereupon he raises her and transports her to an unattainable palace, where she becomes his mistress. Intoxicated by the divine pleasures of love, she demands to become an immortal goddess herself.

Jupiter's jealous wife Juno spins an intrigue and advises Semele to demand that Jupiter come to her in his true form. For a mortal cannot survive the lightning and fire of the father of the gods...

This oratorio offers very appealing roles for the young singers, and the university's chamber choir also plays an important role. Katharina Thoma's production explores the parallels between fame / immortality and media attention, between appearance and reality in the past and today, between divine spheres that go beyond our reality and the virtual world, which offers unlimited possibilities but also has very serious consequences for the real lives of those who show themselves off there. The setting is provided by Devin McDonough's set and Torsten Repper's videos. The Ensemble für Alte Musik will perform under the direction of Andreas Hotz.

Performances on 14, 15, 17 and 18.6.2024 at the Theater Bibrastrasse.