Semiramide

Gioachino Rossini chooses Semiramide as the opera subject of the Carnival season 1822-23, the last of his Italian career. The opera - composed on a libretto by Gaetano Rossi - was performed for the first time in Venice, Teatro La Fenice, onFebruary 3rd 1823. The history of this work is characterized right from the first performances by frequent manipulations, cuts and consecutive adjustments because of its monumental structure. This reduction for voice and piano, based on the criticaledition of the full score, offers a new point of view of Semiramide through the reconstruction of the main phases of its rich executive history.

In addition to the musical texts there are - both in Italian and in English - an historical Introduction (in the first volume) and a Critical Commentary to the musical text (in the second volume). In the three Appendices of the edition are thenpublished the vocal variants recovered from the original parts (some in Rossini’s hand), the original version of the conclusion of the Semiramide’s Cavatina and a version of the Finale secondo composed by Rossini for the Parisian version of 1825.