3h 39min | Music | Episode aired 22 December 1990 | Color, WS
Director: Brian Large
James Conlon ... Himself - Conductor
John Copley ... directed for stage
First performed 1823.
Antecedent performance to Rossini: Semiramide (2018), 8
Wow. I actually followed the story this time. I can't say that I read every word of the subtitles, but enough that I know a lot more of the story than when I watched 2 or 3 rounds of the 2018 performance.
That might sound like a complement, but it's not. Not an insult either. I was just ready to go deeper. But I have a smidge of doubt: that MH's voice was not quite so amazing/beautiful as her 2018 counterpart, so I was not satisfied just to let the sound wash over me.
By the way, neither singer (MH nor the '18 Arsace, Elizabeth DeShong) are classified as contraltos. Both are mezzo-sopranos. But I would swear that ED got lower and higher. I really felt she had a range of voice I'd never heard before. Not so with MH.
I was impressed that I recognized the overture. I doubt that if I heard it out of context I'd be able to identify it as this opera. I might call it Rossini, though. It has some phrases that sound like The Barber of Seville.
Some extra things I learned about the plot:
- I don't remember the princess at all from '18. She's the love object of Arsace and that extra Indian king, Idreno. Otherwise, I still haven't figured out why Idreno is there.
- Arsace was raised by others, not sure why. Not clear if he's aware that he was adopted.
- The high priest is holding a lot of "information" in the form of a letter from the dying Nino, and some physical artifacts.
Costume designs here are reused in '18, but the set seems more elaborate here, perhaps only with extra fly-away backdrops.
Note: if Arsace is played by a woman to convey youth, then should it be a woman who looks older than the soprano playing the character's mother? JA (b. '52), MH (b. '34, the singing voice of Carmen Jones ('54).). My thinking is influenced by HighDef images.
Cast:
Semiramide, queen of Babylon, widow of King Nino, s :: June Anderson
Arsace, commander of S's forces, contralto mezzo-s :: Marilyn Horne
Idreno, an Indian king, t :: Stanford Olsen
Assur, prince descended from Baal, b (=bass) :: Samuel Ramey
Azima, princess descended from Baal, s :: Young-Ok Shin
Oroe, high priest of Magi, b :: John Cheek
Nino's ghost, b :: Jeffrey Wells
Mitrane, captain of the royal guard, t :: Michael Forest
Just watched a promotional hour+ video from Royal Opera House about their version, produced Nov/Dec '17. I hope they put publish that somehow. Set in more modern totalitarian power struggle.
The Metropolitan Opera, cond. Conlon; 8-
