Baltimore Concert Opera presents: Rossini’s Semiramide

Who was Semiramis? The Gist of the Story: The historical woman.. Records show that Setting: about 2000 BCE, in ancient Babylon, after the reign of the Assyrian King Shamshi- based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis (1848). Adad V, 823-811 B.C.E., his widow WHO? Shammuramat (a.k.a Sammu –Ramat) served 15 years earlier, Queen Semiramide and her Composer: as regent from 811 - 808 B.C.E. before their son (then lover) Assur conspired to kill King Nino. Adad-Nirari III took the throne. Not much is Gioachino Rossini Now is it time to name a new successor and known for sure about Queen Sammu-Ramat, (1792 – 1868) Assur expects the title. Semiramide, however, but was extraordinarily powerful for a woman in is now enamored of a handsome young Librettist: Gaetano Rossi ancient times, even having an obelisk erected commander, Arsace, (who is supposedly a for herself in the middle of a major city that read: (1774 – 1855) Scythian) but in reality is her own lost son, “Stele of Sammuramat, queen of Shamshi- Ninia. Arsace and Semiramide are unaware of Adad, King of the Universe, King of Assyria, this, and only the chief priest Oroe knows the Mother of Adad Nirari, King of the Universe, WHAT? truth. Meanwhile, Arsace is in love with the King of Assyria, Daughter-in-Law of Tragic opera seria Babylonian princess Azema, not the Queen. Shalmaneser, King of the Four Regions of the Toward the end of the story - after a tale of World.” She sounds like a pretty powerful lady! (noble subject matter, clear misunderstandings, unrequited lovers, and The legend… According to legend, Semiramis structure, ornamental vocal surprise filial revelations - the Ghost of King was a semi-divine warrior queen: “The Greeks Nino arrives to encourage Arsace to avenge his lines), the last major remembered her, giving her the Greek name murderous death. Finally, the desperate Assur, Semiramis. The Greek historian Ctesias says baroque opera and remorseful Semiramide and distraught Arsace that she was the daughter of a fish-goddess, come together at the site of Nino’s tomb to Rossini’s last opera written raised by doves, who married the king of settle the score once and for all! in Italy Assyria and gave birth to a son called Ninyas. When her husband died, Semiramis

The Characters treacherously claimed his throne. The ancient W HEN? story preserves an echo of Adad-Nirari’s name SEMIRAMIDE, KING NINO, in Ninyas, the son of the legendary queen..” Premiered on deceased Queen of Assyria - Susan Wise Bauer February 3, 1823 husband of Semiramide But why feature a ‘pants role’ hero? (ten years after Tancredi) As we learned in Tancredi, a “pants role” is a ARSACE, young male character meant by the composer to be army commander, sung by a woman. In Semiramide, the hero W HERE? unknown to him and ASSUR, Babylonian Arsace is sung by a contralto or mezzo- the Queen: his is nobleman, previous First performance at soprano. Many scholars feel that Rossini may actually the lost son lover of Semiramide have chosen this in order to emulate the Teatro La Fenice in of Nino & vying for the throne. baroqueThe play.. sound of the wide-ranged castrati Venice, Italy Semiramide. (castrated male singers, Google them if you IDRENO, are brave) that he would have heard in his "(Semiramide) was the last Indian King, Theyouth. opera Another… possibility is that Rossini opera of the great Baroque loves Azema wanted to utilize the warm, expressive mezzo- tradition: the most beautiful, AZEMA, a soprano sound for the role of the conflicted, the most imaginative, Babylonian emotional Arsace. Some performers feel that possibly the most complete; princess who featuring a gender-bending woman in the role but also, irremediably, the loves Arsace OROE, high priest, subtly emphasizes the obfuscated nature of last" friend of King Nino Arsace/Ninia’s identity! And lastly, perhaps and only one who Rossini was just being practical, wanting to – Rodolfo Celletti, knows Arsace’s true feature a favorite singer. Whatever his Italian opera scholar identity reasons, Arsace is one of the greatest “pants roles” ever written by Rossini.

Compiled by C. Kalbacker Read more about Semiramide Baltimore Concert Opera Hadlock, Heather, "Tancredi and Semiramide", in Emanuele Senici (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Rossini, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. 11 W. Mount Vernon Pl. Celletti, Rodolfo. A History of Bel Canto, Clarendon Press, 1991. Baltimore, MD, 21201 Bauer, S. W, The History of the Ancient World, W. W. Norton & Company, 2007. baltimoreconcertopera.com