This 1966 recording, billed as the first complete Semiramide on disc, with
Joan Sutherland singing Semiramide and
Marilyn Horne singing the trouser role Arsace, has long been considered the standard by which all other Semiramide's are measured. Although subsequently there have been more complete recordings, this remains among the best recorded performance and is a recommendation for every opera collection.
The story begins 15 years after Semiramide, Queen of Babylon, has poisoned her husband, the King. Subsequently, Semiramide falls in love with Arsace, the commander of the Babylonian army, although he loves another. As a result, she appoints him the new king, although she does not know that he is her son (difficult to believe, but that is opera!). In the end, through a series of improbable events, Arsace kills his mother, thus avenging the death of his father.
This work requires a uniformly strong cast of singers, and this is the strength of this recording. Because most of its action advances in accompanied recitatives and ensembles, if the caliber of singers isn't uniformly strong, Rossini's carefully designed structure loses its impact. Although more than three-and-a-half hours long, this opera has only six arias.
Especially memorable are the duets between
Sutherland and
Horne, both in their prime at the time of this recording. The other cast members are
Joseph Rouleau as Asur; John Serge as Idreno; Patricia Clark as Azema; Spiro Malas as Oroe; Leslie Fyson as Mitrane; and Michael Langdon as L'ombra di Nino.
Bonynge's understanding of the opera's structure and sensitivity to the singers' every need strongly contributes to the success of this performance. His command of the
London Symphony Orchestra and Ambrosian Opera Chorus is consummate and he brings out the dramatic consistency of the score with a cohesion and appropriate energy. The sound transferred well on this three-CD set and the included booklet contains the libretto in both Italian and English. Despite the greater popularity of The Barber of Seville, Semiramide, the last and longest of Rossini's opera serie, is arguably Rossini's greatest operatic masterpiece. This recording, on three compact discs, is considered one of
Sutherland and
Bonynge's finest recorded achievements.