49 years ago this month, Beverly Sills sang Cleopatra at New York City Opera and became an overnight sensation at age 37. Surprisingly she sang only two other Handel roles, one—Semele—is featured in this scintillating souvenir from the 1969 Caramoor Festival.

Sills at the peak of her powers and Handel’s 1743 secular oratorio (set to William Congreve’s delicious text) make a perfect match. Aside from some cuts, Julius Rudel mostly keeps his mitts off the score (unlike the Giulio Cesare and Ariodante Sills did with him) and presides over an appealing cast that features an aging Léopold Simoneau who remains an elegant stylist. Other stand-outs include Elaine Bonazzi as a fire-breathing Juno and John Ferrante–taking a well-deserved break from being PDQ Bach’s “bargain-counter-tenor”– as Athamas.

Handel: Semele

Caramoor Festival

June 21, 1969

Conductor – Julius Rudel

In-house recording

Semele – Beverly Sills

Juno – Elaine Bonazzi

Ino – Carolyn Stanford

Iris – Sandra Fox

Jupiter / Apollo – Leopold Simoneau

Athamas – John Ferrante

Cadmus / Priest – Michael Devlin

Somnus – Ara Berberian