Semiramide
Encyclopedia
Semiramide is an opera
in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.
The libretto
by Gaetano Rossi
is based on Voltaire
's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon. The opera was first performed at La Fenice
in Venice on February 3, 1823.
Semiramide (Semiramis) 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". 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 roles. Although the overture is one of several of Rossini's to be widely recorded, the opera is only occasionally performed.
, Il Turco in Italia
, and The Italian Girl in Algiers), 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
, Mosè 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 did not 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.
By the late 1800s, the opera had virtually disappeared. However, the Metropolitan Opera
had revived it in 1892, 1894, and 1895, but it took until 1932 when it was again revived (in a German translation) in Rostock
and it then reappeared under Tullio Serafin
at the 1940 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
.
Presentations at La Scala
in Milan
in September 1962 with Joan Sutherland
and Giulietta Simionato
required the re-assembly of the entire score from the Rossini autograph, since no other texts were known to exist. While musicologist Philip Gossett
notes that between 1962 and 1990 "some seventy opera houses have included the work in one or more seasons", it was not until the Met's 1990 revival after almost 100 years that a production based on a new critical edition was mounted. It starred Marilyn Horne
as Arsace.
Assur and Semiramide, former lovers, had plotted to murder the latter's husband, King Nino, 15 years before. Her son escaped death at that time and is now, as Arsace, a successful commander, his identity unknown to his mother.
He expresses his concern as to why he has been called back to Babylon, declares his love for Azema who loves him, and his unwillingness to support Assur in the latter's bid for the throne. (Aria: "Eccomi alfine in Babilonia... Ah! quel giorno ognor rammento"). The two men discuss the situation of Azema with Arsace reaffirming his love for Azema: (Aria: "Bella imago degli dei").
Scene 2: The Hanging Gardens
Having fallen in love with Arsace and believing that he loves her, Semiramide waits for his arrival: (Aria: "Bel raggio lusinghier"). Arsace arrives and tells her of his love for Azema, but she still believes that he really loves here: (Aria: "Serbami ognor sì fido"). Declaring him king
and her consort results in King Nino's ghost warning of the crimes to be expiated and the high priest Oroe tells Arsace about the crimes committed by his mother and Assur ("Giuri ognuno, a' sommi Dei", Semiramide, Arsace, Idreno, Oroe and Assur").
Assur continues to pressure Semiraminde to make him king while she threatens to reveal the crime (Duet: "Se la vita ancor t'è cara"). In the tomb, Arsace meets King Nino's murderers and he is told that Nino is his father. He accepts that he must avenge his father: (Aria: "In sì barbara sciagura"). His mood ranges widely from despair to heroic determination. As Semiramide learns of Arsace's real identity and becomes remorseful, Arsace swears filial loyalty, wishings to spare his mother: (Duet: "Ebben, a te... Giorno d'orrore... Madre, addio!"). Assur learns that the people have turned against him and he vows to kill Arsace, then goes into the tomb to find the young man: ("Deh ti ferma...Que numi furenti"). Along with Oroe, mother and son go into the tomb where Assur confronts them: ("L'usato ardir"). Assur, seeking to strike Arsace, injures Semiramide as she steps between them to stop the fight. Assur is arrested, Semiramide dies, and Arsace relunctantly accepts that he shall be King.
, 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.
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.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.
The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Gaetano Rossi
Gaetano Rossi
Gaetano Rossi was an Italian writer who wrote opera libretti for several composers including Mayr, Rossini, Donizetti, Mercadante, Pacini, and Meyerbeer.-Biography:...
is based on Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon. The opera was first performed at La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
in Venice on February 3, 1823.
Semiramide (Semiramis) 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". 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
Isabella Colbran
Isabella Colbran was a Spanish opera singer, who was known in her native country as Isabel Colbrandt. Many sources note her as a dramatic coloratura soprano but, some believe that she was a mezzo-soprano with a high extension, a soprano sfogato...
. The work starts with a well-known overture, and throughout it calls for outstanding singers in the leading roles. Although the overture is one of several of Rossini's to be widely recorded, the opera is only occasionally performed.
Composition history
After making his mark with a number of brilliant comic operas (most notably Il barbiere di Siviglia, La CenerentolaLa Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
, Il Turco in Italia
Il turco in Italia
Il turco in Italia is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The Italian-language libretto was written by Felice Romani...
, and The Italian Girl in Algiers), 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
Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, is a dramma per musica or opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, from the play The Page of Leicester by Carlo Federici...
, Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
, Armida
Armida (Rossini)
Armida is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, based on scenes from Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso.-Performance history:...
, Mosè in Egitto
Mosè in Egitto
Mosè in Egitto is a three-act opera written by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, which was based on a play by Francesco Ringhieri, L'Osiride, of 1760....
, 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 did not 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.
Performance history
Following its premiere, the opera was given twenty-eight times for the rest of the season in Venice, and it went on to presentations throughout Italy and Europe. It reached London on 15 July 1824, was given in New Orleans on 1 May 1837, but it took until 3 January 1845 before it was performed in New York.By the late 1800s, the opera had virtually disappeared. However, the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
had revived it in 1892, 1894, and 1895, but it took until 1932 when it was again revived (in a German translation) in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
and it then reappeared under Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin
-Biography:Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire...
at the 1940 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is an annual opera festival which was founded in April 1933 by conductor Vittorio Gui with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten operas in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi's early...
.
Presentations at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in September 1962 with Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
and Giulietta Simionato
Giulietta Simionato
Giulietta Simionato was an Italian mezzo-soprano. Her career spanned from the 1930s until her retirement in 1966.-Life:Born at Forlì, Romagna, she studied in Rovigo and Padua, and made her operatic debut at Montagnana in 1928...
required the re-assembly of the entire score from the Rossini autograph, since no other texts were known to exist. While musicologist Philip Gossett
Philip Gossett
Philip Gossett is an American musicologist and historian, and recently officially retired from the post of Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor of Music at the University of Chicago...
notes that between 1962 and 1990 "some seventy opera houses have included the work in one or more seasons", it was not until the Met's 1990 revival after almost 100 years that a production based on a new critical edition was mounted. It starred Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
as Arsace.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, February 3, 1823 (Conductor: Antonio Cammerra) |
|---|---|---|
| Semiramide, Queen of Babylon, widow of King Nino | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Isabella Colbran Isabella Colbran Isabella Colbran was a Spanish opera singer, who was known in her native country as Isabel Colbrandt. Many sources note her as a dramatic coloratura soprano but, some believe that she was a mezzo-soprano with a high extension, a soprano sfogato... |
| Arsace, Commander of the Assyrian army | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Rosa Mariani |
| Assur, a prince, descendant of Baal | bass | Filippo Galli Filippo Galli (bass) Filippo Galli was an Italian opera singer who began his career as a tenor in 1801 but went on to become one of the most acclaimed basses of the Bel Canto era, with a voice known for its wide range, extreme agility, and expressivity, and a remarkable gift for acting-Early life:Born in Rome, Galli... |
| Idreno, an Indian king | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
John Sinclair |
| Oroe, high priest of the Magi | bass | Luciano Mariani Luciano Mariani Luciano Mariani was an Italian operatic bass. Amongst the several roles he created were Rodolfo in Bellini's La sonnambula, Alfonso d'Este in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Oroe in Rossini's Semiramide. His elder sister, Rosa Mariani, was also an opera singer and sang Arsace in the premiere of... |
| Azema, a princess, descendant of Baal | soprano | Matilde Spagna |
| Mitrane, Captain of the Guard | tenor | Gaetano Rambaldi |
| Nino's Ghost | bass | Natale Ciolli |
Act 1
Scene 1: Temple of Baal, BabylonAssur and Semiramide, former lovers, had plotted to murder the latter's husband, King Nino, 15 years before. Her son escaped death at that time and is now, as Arsace, a successful commander, his identity unknown to his mother.
He expresses his concern as to why he has been called back to Babylon, declares his love for Azema who loves him, and his unwillingness to support Assur in the latter's bid for the throne. (Aria: "Eccomi alfine in Babilonia... Ah! quel giorno ognor rammento"). The two men discuss the situation of Azema with Arsace reaffirming his love for Azema: (Aria: "Bella imago degli dei").
Scene 2: The Hanging Gardens
Having fallen in love with Arsace and believing that he loves her, Semiramide waits for his arrival: (Aria: "Bel raggio lusinghier"). Arsace arrives and tells her of his love for Azema, but she still believes that he really loves here: (Aria: "Serbami ognor sì fido"). Declaring him king
and her consort results in King Nino's ghost warning of the crimes to be expiated and the high priest Oroe tells Arsace about the crimes committed by his mother and Assur ("Giuri ognuno, a' sommi Dei", Semiramide, Arsace, Idreno, Oroe and Assur").
Act 2
Arsace's father's tombAssur continues to pressure Semiraminde to make him king while she threatens to reveal the crime (Duet: "Se la vita ancor t'è cara"). In the tomb, Arsace meets King Nino's murderers and he is told that Nino is his father. He accepts that he must avenge his father: (Aria: "In sì barbara sciagura"). His mood ranges widely from despair to heroic determination. As Semiramide learns of Arsace's real identity and becomes remorseful, Arsace swears filial loyalty, wishings to spare his mother: (Duet: "Ebben, a te... Giorno d'orrore... Madre, addio!"). Assur learns that the people have turned against him and he vows to kill Arsace, then goes into the tomb to find the young man: ("Deh ti ferma...Que numi furenti"). Along with Oroe, mother and son go into the tomb where Assur confronts them: ("L'usato ardir"). Assur, seeking to strike Arsace, injures Semiramide as she steps between them to stop the fight. Assur is arrested, Semiramide dies, and Arsace relunctantly accepts that he shall be 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 SevilleThe Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, 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.
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.
Recordings
| Year | Cast (Semiramide, Arssace, Assur, Idreno) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-66 | Joan Sutherland Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s.... , Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.... , Joseph Rouleau Joseph Rouleau Joseph A. Rouleau, is a French-Canadian bass opera singer, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertories.... , John Serge |
Richard Bonynge Richard Bonynge Richard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for... , London Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:... and the Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Decca Cat: 475 7918 |
| 1980 | Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi.... , Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.... , Samuel Ramey Samuel Ramey Samuel Edward Ramey is an American operatic bass with a long, distinguished career.During his best years, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing the music of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, yet power... , Francisco Araiza |
Jesús López Cobos, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Aix en Provence Festival Chorus (Audio and video recordings of performance(s) at the Aix-en-Provence Festival Aix-en-Provence Festival The festival international d'art lyrique is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in the month of July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental music.-Establishment:The... |
Audio CD: Premiere Opera Ltd, Cat: CDNO 161-2 DVD: Encore DVD 2258 |
| 1990 | June Anderson June Anderson June Anderson is a Grammy Award-winning American coloratura soprano. Originally known for bel canto performances of Rossini, Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini, she was the first non-Italian ever to win the prestigious Bellini d'Oro prize... , Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.... , Samuel Ramey Samuel Ramey Samuel Edward Ramey is an American operatic bass with a long, distinguished career.During his best years, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing the music of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, yet power... , Stanford Olsen |
James Conlon James Conlon James Conlon is an American conductor and the current Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera.-Early years:Conlon grew up in a family of five children on Cherry Street in Douglaston, Queens, New York. His mother, Angeline L. Conlon, was a freelance writer. His father was an assistant to the New... , Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager... Orchestra and Chorus (Audio and video recording of a performance at the MET) |
Audio CD: Celestial Audio Cat: CA 135; DVD: ArtHaus Musik Cat: 100 222 |
| 1992 | Iano Tamar, Gloria Scalchi, Michele Pertusi, Gregory Kunde |
Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda is an Italian conductor and musicologist, a specialist of the 19th century Italian repertoire.Zedda studied in his native Milan with Antonino Votto and Carlo Maria Giulini, and made his debut there as conductor in 1956, with Il barbiere di Siviglia... , Orchestra of the Teatro Communale, Bologna and Prague Philharmonic Chorus (Recording of the critical edition at a performance at the Pesaro Festival) |
Audio CD: Ricordi/Fonit Cetra Cat: RFCD 2018 |
| 1992 | Cheryl Studer Cheryl Studer Cheryl Studer is a Grammy Award winning American dramatic soprano who has sung at many of the world's major opera houses. A singer with unusual versatility, Studer has performed more than eighty roles ranging from the dramatic repertoire to roles more commonly associated with lyric sopranos and... , Jennifer Larmore Jennifer Larmore Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer, noted for coloratura and bel canto.- Career :Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano, well known for her versatility, natural beauty and stage craft... , Samuel Ramey Samuel Ramey Samuel Edward Ramey is an American operatic bass with a long, distinguished career.During his best years, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing the music of Handel, Mozart, Rossini, yet power... , Frank Lopardo |
Ion Marin, London Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:... and Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label... Cat: 437 797-2 |
| 1998 | Edita Gruberova Edita Gruberová Edita Gruberová , is a Slovak soprano who is one of the most acclaimed coloraturas of recent decades. She is noted for her great tonal clarity, agility, dramatic interpretation, and ability to sing high notes with great power, which made her an ideal Queen of the Night in her early years... , Bernadette Manca di Nissa Bernadette Manca di Nissa Bernadette Manca di Nissa is an Italian operatic contralto who has sung leading roles in the principal opera houses of Italy as well as internationally... , Ildebrando d' Arcangelo Juan Diego Florez Juan Diego Flórez Juan Diego Flórez is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Sol del Perú.... , |
Marcello Panni, Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna and Wiener Konzertchor (Recording of a concert performance in the Wiener Konzerthaus, 14 March) |
Audio CD: Nightingale Classics LP: Cat: NC 207013-2 |
| 2004 | Ángeles Blancas, Daniela Barcellona, Ildar Abdrazakov, Antonino Siragusa |
Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda is an Italian conductor and musicologist, a specialist of the 19th century Italian repertoire.Zedda studied in his native Milan with Antonino Votto and Carlo Maria Giulini, and made his debut there as conductor in 1956, with Il barbiere di Siviglia... , Teatro Real Teatro Real The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:... , Madrid Orchestra and Chorus (Video recording of a performance in the Teatro Real, Madrid, April) |
DVD: Encore DVD 2731 |