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.
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]
| 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 |
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.
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.
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Temistocle (Themistocles) is an opera seria in three acts by the German composer Johann Christian Bach. The Italian text is an extensive revision of the libretto by Metastasio first set by Antonio Caldara in 1736, by Mattia Verazi, court poet and private secretary to the Elector Palatine Carl Theodor. The opera was the first of two which J. C. Bach set for the Elector Palatine. Some of the music was reused from earlier works, including part of the overture from Carattaco.
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Domenico Giacinto Fontana (1692–1739), also known as "Farfallino", was an Italian castrato singer active primarily in Rome from 1712 to 1736. He specialised in singing soprano female roles and earned the name "Farfallino" for his graceful stage appearance. He was born in Perugia and died there at the age of 47. At times he feared ridicule by performing certain roles, such as a pregnant primadonna.
Semiramide riconosciuta is a dramma per musica in two acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer. It is the composer's fifth opera and the second that he composed for a theatre in Italy. The text is an adaptation of a pre-existing libretto by Pietro Metastasio that had already been set to music by numerous other composers. The opera had its premiere at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 3 February 1819.
Semiramide riconosciuta is an opera libretto by Pietro Metastasio (1698–1782), written in 1729. It is for opera seria, and accordingly consists of recitatives and da capo arias. It tells a story of the legendary Semiramis, wife of the Biblical Nimrod.
Solimano is an opera in three acts composed by Johann Adolph Hasse to an Italian-language libretto by Giovanni Ambrogio Migliavacca. Loosely based on an episode in the life of Suleiman the Magnificent, the opera premiered on 5 February 1753 at the Opernhaus am Zwinger in Dresden. The lavish premiere production was designed by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena and featured Angelo Amorevoli in the title role.
Mattia Verazi was an Italian librettist primarily active at the court of Charles Theodore in Mannheim. He became known as the leader of a group of librettists who challenged the conventions of opera seria in the mid-18th century and was a long-time collaborator of composer Niccolò Jommelli. He also produced the libretti for Salieri's Europa riconosciuta, Sacchini's Calliroe, and J. C. Bach's Temistocle
Didone abbandonata is an 1823 opera in two acts by Saverio Mercadante to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola after Metastasio's Didone abbandonata. It was first performed on 18 January 1823 at the Teatro Regio in Turin.
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