The Plot
The libretto is based on Voltaire’s play “Semiramis,” about a true-life queen of ancient Babylon (now Iraq). The events in the Italian opera (in which her name is Semiramide) are mostly fabricated, with scenes reminiscent of “Oedipus,” “Hamlet,” and “Macbeth.”The action begins after the assassination of King Nino and the assumption of power by Semiramide, his widow. The heavy of the piece, Prince Assur, wants the throne. Arsace, the commander of the army, is in love with Princess Azema, but then so are Assur and Indian Prince Idreno. Azema goes for the warrior.
Semiramide throws a wrench in all their plans by announcing that she is going to wed Arsace and that he will become king. Nino’s ghost appears to warn that, although Arsace will eventually take the throne, before that happens an unnamed person must be sacrificed.
At the beginning of Act 2, Assur reminds the queen that she had conspired with him to kill her husband. He expected that his reward would be to step into the king’s shoes, but Semiramide rejects him.
There is another surprising event when Oroe, the high priest, reveals to Arsace that he is Ninia, the long-lost son of the queen. He also informs Arsace that, according to a scroll by the dying Nino, his mother (Semiramide) and Assur committed the regicide.
Ken Howard/The Metropolitan Opera
When Arsace reveals all to Semiramide, she not only calls off the marriage but entreats him to kill her as punishment for killing his father and her husband. Arsace can’t bring himself to kill his mother and even asks the gods not to punish her.
At Nino’s tomb, Assur learns that his plan to gain the monarchy has been foiled. He decides to murder Arsace but momentarily goes mad. After he regains his sanity, he goes back to his earlier plan.
In a Babylonian version of the shootout at the O.K. Corral, Arsace, guided by the high priest, enters the vault to battle Assur. Semiramide is there as well, intending to save her son (and former fiancé).
The Performance
John Copley’s production benefits from a spectacular cast. Soprano Angela Meade is a powerhouse in the title role, handling the technical and dramatic demands with aplomb. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong is Arsace, which would be characterized as a trouser role if the Babylonian men wore pants. DeShong deserves to emerge from “Semiramide” as a star.
Ken Howard/The Metropolitan Opera
There are three bass roles, all sung with distinction: Ildar Abdrazakov is the sneering Assur, Ryan Speedo Green is the high priest Oroe, and Jeremy Galyon is the ghost of King Nino. Sarah Shafer makes a promising Met debut as Princess Azema.
As Idreno, Javier Camarena proves once again, with his spectacular high notes, that he is one of the top bel canto tenors in the world.
If you don’t know “Semiramide,” this production will convince you that it’s a major work.
