Semiramide" a lyric tragedy in two acts, words by Gaetano Rossi, the
subject taken from Voltaire's "Semiramis," was first produced at the
Fenice, Venice, Feb. 3, 1823, with the following cast:--

SEMIRAMIDE Mme. ROSSINI-COLBRAN.
ARSACES Mme. MARIANI.
IDRENO Mr. SINCLAIR.
ASSUR Sig. GALLI.
OROE Sig. MARIANI.

On the 9th of July it was produced in French at the Academie, Paris,
as "Semiramis," with Carlotta Marchisio as Semiramide, Barbara, her
sister, as Arsaces, and M. Obin as Assur. At Rossini's request M.
Carafa arranged the recitatives and wrote the ballet music.
"Semiramide" was the last opera Rossini wrote for Italy; and so far
did he depart from the conventional Italian style, that he was charged
with imitating the German. It was probably for this reason that the
opera when first performed did not meet with a kindly reception from
the Venetians. Although he was occupied six months in negotiating for
his stipulated price (one thousand dollars), he wrote the opera in
three weeks. Of its first performance, a correspondent of the
"Harmonicon," who was present, writes: "The first act, which lasted
two hours and fifteen minutes, was received very coldly, with the
exception of one passage in the overture, which overture, however, was
unconscionably long. The second act, which lasted two hours and a
half, began to please in an air of Mariani, but the applause was
rather directed to this favorite singer. After this a duet between her
and Colbran, together with an air of Galli, and particularly a
terzetto between him and the two ladies, were well received. Rossini
was also called for at the end of the second act. It is all over with
Madame, his own wife" (Mme. Colbran), who took the title-role.

The scene of the opera is laid in Babylon, and the story briefly told
is as follows: Ninus, the King of Babylon, has been murdered by his
Queen, Semiramis, aided by Assur, a prince enamoured of her and
aspiring to the throne. One of the Queen's warriors, Arsaces, supposed
to be of Scythian origin, but in reality her own son, returns from a
foreign expedition and is loaded with honors for the victory he has
won. Semiramis, ignorant of his parentage, has a secret passion for
him, he in the mean time being devoted to Azema, one of the princesses
royal. As all gather together in the temple to swear allegiance to the
Queen, the gates of Ninus's tomb suddenly open, an