Semiramide riconosciuta (Semiramis Recognized) is an Italian opera with serious action, or dramma per musica, by Nicola Porpora, set to a libretto by Metastasio with some textual changes, possibly by Domenico Lalli. The opera was written for some of the finest contemporary singers, and includes a technically demanding series of da capo arias.
Performance history[edit]
The opera was first performed on 26 December 1729 at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo in Venice. Metastasio's libretto had been used in Rome, on 6 February that same year, for another setting of the same title by Leonardo Vinci.[1]
Roles[edit]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 26 December 1729[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Semiramide, an Egyptian princess | soprano | Lucia Facchinelli |
| Merteo, an Egyptian prince, brother of Semiramide | soprano castrato | Carlo Maria Broschi "Farinelli" |
| Sibari, also formerly in love with Semiramide | alto castrato | Domenico Gizzi |
| Idreno/Scitalce, an Indian prince, former lover of Semiramide | soprano castrato | Nicolò Grimaldi "Nicolini" |
| Tamiri, princess of Bactria | soprano | Antonia "Anna" Negri |
| Ircano, a Scythian prince | bass | Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
Synopsis[edit]
The Egyptian princess Semiramide rules Assyria disguised as a man. Princess Tamiri prepares to choose a husband from three candidates, setting in motion a series of events that lead to Semiramide being reunited with her lover Scitalce, and the exposure of the villainy of his rival Sibari.
Revivals and recordings[edit]
- Semiramide riconosciuta: Stefano Montanari at Le Festival International d’Opéra Baroque de Beaune
- Excerpts Carnevale 1729 Ann Hallenberg Montanari, Il pomo d'Oro Pentatone
References[edit]
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Semiramide riconosciuta (Vinci)". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Semiramide riconosciuta, 26 December 1729". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
External links[edit]
- Semiramide riconosciuta (Porpora): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto for Vinci's opera, from Libretti d'Opera.it, accessed 13 July 2011
- Full score of Semiramide riconosciuta, accessed 30 December 2012, 256 pages, Urtext-Edition by Holger Schmitt-Hallenberg, Gran Tonante
- Robinson, Michael F. (1992): "Semiramide riconosciuta" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
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