Semiramide

"Semiramide" is an opera in two acts by Gioacchino Rossini. The libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi, based on Voltaire's tragedy "Semiramis", which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon [Raymond Monelle, Review of "Semiramide redenta: archetipi, fonti classiche, censure antropologiche nel melodramma". "Music & Letters", 73(3), 448-450 (1992).] [Marita P. McClymonds, eview of "Semiramide redenta: archetipi, fonti classiche, censure antropologiche nel melodramma". "Notes" (2nd Ser.), 50(1), 139-141 (1993).] . The opera was first performed in Teatro La Fenice, Venice on February 3, 1823.

"Semiramide" was Rossini's final Italian opera, and took the form of a return to vocal traditions of his youth, a melodrama in which he "recreated the baroque tradition of decorative singing with unparalleled skill". [Guido Johannes Joerg, p.27; booklet to DVD cat. 100 222, ArtHaus Musik, 1991] The ensemble-scenes (particularly the duos between Arsace and Semiramide) and choruses are of a high order, as is the orchestral writing, which makes full use of a large pit.

Rossini wrote the title role for his wife, Isabella Colbran. The work starts with a well-known overture, and throughout it calls for outstanding singers in the leading soprano and contralto roles. "Semiramide" is occasionally performed but is not part of the standard operatic repertoire.

Roles

Synopsis

Semiramide, with Assur, has secured the murder of her husband, King Nino. Her son, however, has escaped death and is now, as Arsace, a successful commander, his identity unknown to his mother. He is called back to Babylon, is in love with Azema and unwilling to support Assur in the latter's bid for the throne. Semiramide falls in love with him and declares him king and her consort, while Azema will marry Idreno. King Nino's ghost warns of crimes to be expiated and the high priest Oroe tells Arsace of the crime committed by his mother and Assur. Arsace, in the tomb of his father, meets King Nino's murderers, and seeking to strike Assur, kills Semiramide. He is finally declared King.

Overture

Because Rossini's overtures were sometimes shuffled from one opera to another, Rossini would have found the fact that most music lovers today identify his operas by their overture to be ironic. It is well known, for example, that "The Barber of Seville", one of the greatest of comic operas, is performed all over the world with an overture that had already served Rossini twice for serious operas. "Semiramide", though, has its own overture.

After making his mark with a number of brilliant comic operas (most notably "Il barbiere di Siviglia", "La Cenerentola", "Il Turco in Italia", and "L'Italiana in Algieri"), Rossini turned more and more to serious opera, and during the years 1816 - 1822 he wrote a considerable series of them, mostly for Naples. One reason for his new interest in the serious genre was his connection with the great dramatic soprano Isabella Colbran, who was first his mistress then his wife. She created the leading female role in "Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, Otello, Armida, Mosé in Egitto", and six other Rossini operas up to and including his final contribution to the genre, "Semiramide". After this splendid work, one of his finest in the genre, Rossini turned his back on Italy and moved to Paris. His last operas were either original compositions in French or extensively reworked adaptations into French of earlier Italian operas.

The conditions under which opera was performed in Rossini's day gave little opportunity for calm reflection on the part of a composer. The contract for an opera might have been signed as little as a month before the work was to be put on stage. During that time the composer had to find a libretto, if he didn't already have one in hand, compose the music, supervise the rehearsals and direct the first three performances. The score to "Semiramide" was unusually long and elaborate, but Rossini boasted that this was the "only one of my Italian operas which I was able to do at my ease; my contract gave me forty days!" Actually, it took him only 33 days to complete the score.

The overture was almost certainly composed last. Unlike many operatic overtures of the day, it borrowed musical ideas from the opera itself, thus making it unsuitable for use with another score. The range and balance of musical ideas, from the hushed, rhythmic opening through the Andantino for four horns (drawn from the opera itself) and the repetition with pizzicato countermelodies in the strings to the lively Allegro, make the overture to "Semiramide" one of Rossini's finest contributions to the genre and deservedly one of the most popular.

Noted arias and ensembles

* Eccome alfine in Babilonia...Ah! quel giorno ognor rammento - Arsace (Act I)
* Bel raggio lusinghier...Dolce pensiero - Semiramide (Act I)
* Serbami ognor si fido - Semiramide & Arsace (Act I)
* Giuri ognuno, a' sommi Dei - Semiramide, Arsace, Idreno, Oroe & Assur (Act I)
* In si barbara sciagura - Arsace (Act II)
* La speranza piu soave - Idreno (Act II)
* Ebben, a te...Giorno d'orrore...Madre, addio! - Semiramide & Arsace (Act II)
* L'usato ardir - Assur, Arsace & Semiramide (Act II)

elected recordings

* Decca: Joan Sutherland (Semiramide), Marilyn Horne (Arsace), Joseph Rouleau (Assur), John Serge (Idreno) - Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra - Richard Bonynge, conductor (1965-6)
* Deutsche Grammophon: Cheryl Studer (Semiramide), Jennifer Larmore (Arsace), Samuel Ramey (Assur), Frank Lopardo (Idreno) - Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra - Ion Marin, conductor (1992)
* Nightingale Classics (1998-2001): Edita Gruberova (Semiramide), Bernadette Manca de Nissa (Arsace), Juan Diego Florez (Idreno); Radio Symphonieorchester Wien, Marcello Panni, conductor.
* Ricordi/Fonit Cetra: Iano Tamar, Gloria Scalchi, Michele Pertusi, Gregory Kunde, Monica Valenti, Ildebrando D'Archangelo, Luigi Petroni, Sergey Zadvrony; Orchestra of the Teatro Communale, Bologna; Prague Philharmonic Chorus; Alberto Zedda, conductor (recording of critical edition) [ [http://oq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/citation/11/1/151 William Ashbrook, "Semiramide". Gioachino Rossini." "The Opera Quarterly", 11(1), 151-153 (1994 ).] ]

* There is also a more recent 1990 video recording of June Anderson, Marilyn Horne and Samuel Ramey in a production by the Metropolitan Opera.

References