Rossini's opera Semiramide was composed in Venice in January of 1823, and was first produced on February 3, at the Venetian theater La Fenice.  The overture has been played once before at these concerts, in 1987.  Duration 11:00.

Like most of Rossini's works, Semiramide was written very quickly--his contract allowed him forty days to complete the opera, but he finished the job in thirty-three!   His standard operating procedure was to wait until the last minute to write the overture:  as in most of his operas, Semiramide's overture is based almost entirely on what he considered to be the best tunes in the opera.  Unlike the majority of his operas, however, Semiramide is thoroughly serious stuff--the opera was considered almost too dramatic and long-winded by a Venetian audience that was used to lighter opere buffe.  Semiramide met with moderate success in its first run, however, and is still one of the works that still lurk on the outskirts of the standard operatic repertory today.

The legend of the evil Babylonian queen Semiramis was a fertile source of operatic inspiration: Rossini's Semiramide is one of over forty settings of the story that date from as early as 1648.  In the libretto used by Rossini (which is at least partly based on an earlier stage play by Voltaire) , Semiramide conspires with her lover Assur to murder her husband Nino and place Assur on the throne.  In an Oedipus-like turn of the plot, Semiramide falls in love with a dashing young general, Arsace.  Unbeknownst to anyone but the high priest, Arsace is, in truth, Semiramide's own son, Prince Ninia.   Nino's ghost appears, prophesying that Arsace will become king. When the priest informs him of his true identity, Ninia vows to revenge his father by killing Assur, but dagger thrust intended for the usurper strikes the guilty Semiramide instead.  When Ninia's identity is proclaimed Assur is condemned to die, and Ninia sadly ascends to the throne.

After the initial orchestral flourishes, the overture opens with an extended slow introduction, a feature found in most Rossini overtures.  In this section the horns and woodwinds play a lyrical hymnlike melody--a chorus of praise for the queen heard in the first act.  The opening flourishes return, announcing the beginning of the main Allegro portion of the overture, which is set in D major.  The first Allegro theme is taken from the orchestral introduction to the opera's tragic final scene at the tomb of King Nino--a tragedy that is belied by the happy, bouncy nature of this theme!  The second theme, in A major, first played by clarinet and bassoon and then by the piccolo, is similarly jovial, yet somewhat more martial than the first theme.  A long crescendo passage and a string interlude lead back to a repeat of the opening Allegro material.

program notes ©2000 J. Michael Allsen