Rossini: Semiramide

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Music reviews of Rossini: Semiramide

Music Review: The best Semiramide
Rating: 5 Stars

While I am not a purist with regard to making cuts in an opera, some operas clearly benefit more than others from being heard complete. I think Semiramide really needs to be as complete as possible for the genius of Rossini's structure to be apparent. So I am very grateful that we have three choices, even though regretting that none of them feature Joan Sutherland, who brought this opera back into the repertoire beginning with her 1962 performances at La Scala with Giulietta Simionato. Marilyn Horne, who came to prominence shortly afterwards, was of course the ideal partner for Sutherland in this music.

Nevertheless, even though we don't get Sutherland and Horne here, the cast of this recording is quite outstanding. The difficulties of their music hold no terrors for Cheryl Studer as Semiramide and Jennifer Larmore as Arsace; and in fact in the concluding section of their Act II duet, they bring a very joyful sense of "look what we can do with this music." One can quibble that Cheryl Studer doesn't have Sutherland's regal quality--nobody does--and that Jennifer Larmore doesn't sound as masculine as Marilyn Horne--ditto--but these are still outstanding performances, full of vocal excitement and elan.

The tenor Idreno doesn't contribute much to the plot other than giving the other singers a chance to rest while he sings his two arias, one per act. Even so, his music is fiendishly difficult and I can't imagine it being sung any better than Frank Lopardo does here.

Of course, Samuel Ramey, the Assur, has been the pre-eminent Rossini bass for a couple of decades, and this recording shows why. He was still at the very top of his form at the time this recording was made, and he sails through his music in a way that would be beyond the capabilities of most basses.

Ion Marin, the conductor, was a new name to me at the time this recording came out. Even so, he captures all the energy of the opera; my only complaint is that he takes the opening slow section of the overture a bit too quickly. Other than that, this is the way Semiramide should go.

I consider this recording to be the first choice for a Semiramide for any opera collection, although no serious collection would be complete without versions by Sutherland and Horne, and preferably together. Currently Horne's Arsace is available on the Met video, with June Anderson as Semiramide, and Sutherland's assumption of the queen is available in a 1968 live performance on Opera d'Oro with Monica Sinclair as a perfectly competent Arsace.

The 1965 commercial recording with both Sutherland and Horne is not currently available in the United States but can be still be found at amazon.co.uk. As much as I want to recommend it, I can't, partly because of John Serge's rather ugly-sounding though accurate Idreno (he only gets to sing one of his two arias, which is probably just as well), but mostly because of Richard Bonynge's lifeless conducting, which I find very difficult to sit through after hearing the excitement Marin brings to the score. Bonynge is leagues better than his 1965 self in the 1971 Lyric Opera of Chicago performance which of course features both Sutherland and Horne, and which is regrettably not available at the present time; it could formerly be found on the Bella Voce label through Qualiton Records, and is well worth searching for. In fact, if I were connected with Decca/London, I would immediately begin negotiations with Lyric Opera of Chicago for the rights to issue this superb performance and drop the current recording from the catalogue altogether.

But this recording is the Semiramide to own if you're having only one, for the completeness of the text, the four fine principals and the marvelous conducting. Once you've got this recording safely stowed in your collection, start hunting around for Sutherland's and Horne's interpretations of this music as an important supplement.

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