Rossini 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, on February 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 critical edition 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 then published 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.