Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

her transitory suspicions, and next night she makes her way to the balcony, where she has arranged
to meet her lover. Here he quickly joins her, with Figaro; and she is overjoyed to learn that
Lindoro and Almaviva are one and the same person. Upon the appearance of the notary whom
Bartolo has engaged, who now arrives on the scene, the lovers bribe him to take their part, and so
sign the contract he has brought. When Bartolo presently arrives, therefore, he finds his ward
already united to Count Almaviva who, however, pacifies him by permitting him to retain the
ladys dowry, of which he himself has no need.
135. SEMIRAMIDE
Tragic Opera in Two Acts By Gioacchini Antonio Rossini
Libretto By Gaetano Rossi (Adapted from Voltaires "Semiramis")
First Produced Venice, February, 1823
Chief Characters Semiramide, Azema, Arsaces, Assur, Idreno, Oroe
THE scene is laid in ancient Babylon. Semiramide, the beautiful and powerful Queen of Babylon,
has murdered her husband, King Minus, and in this dreadful deed she has been helped by Assur,
an ambitious Prince, who aims at securing the throne for himself, being desperately in love with
the passionate Queen, and desirous of wedding her. But Semiramide, having made use of this tool,
disdains to use him again, and treats him with haughty coolness; and she desires to secure for her
new lover one of her bravest warriors, a noble young man named Arsaces, for whom she has
conceived a violent passion. Arsaces is supposed to be a Scythian, being a stranger to Babylon, but
in reality he is the son of Semiramide, being the offspring of an early love intrigue. The fact that
he is her son, however, is unknown to the Queen; and she seeks eagerly to gain his love. Arsaces,
on the contrary, refuses to accept her advances, being in love with one of the royal princesses,
Azema, whom he seeks opportunity to woo. But Semiramide is determined to win him as her
second consort, and when the people gather together in the temple to swear allegiance to their
Queen, she announces to them it is her will that Arsaces shall reign at her side as Consort-King.
Assur is furious at this announcement, and he secretly resolves to murder his unwilling rival. The
people also are astounded that the Queen should choose a plain and unknown warrior as her
consort, even though Arsaces has lately returned from the wars covered with glory, but their
astonishment is changed to awe when suddenly the tomb of Minus is opened and the spirit of the
dead King appears and announces that Arsaces shall indeed succeed him on the throne. Arsaces
has, however, no desire to wed the criminal Queen, and he arranges a meeting with her at midnight
at the tomb of Minus, in order to tell her of his love for Azema. Here they are presently joined by
the jealous Assur, who springs forward to stab Arsaces, but, in the darkness, he slays the Queen
instead. Arsaces, turning upon the unexpected assassin, slays Assur; and when the chief ministers
of Babylon, Idreno and Oroe, now appear, with the other lords, the true birth of Assur is
discovered, and he is at once acclaimed as King, and is united to his beloved Azema.
136. WILLIAM TELL
Opera in Three Acts By Gioacchini Antonio Rossini
Libretto By Etienne Joug and H. Bis (Adapted from Schillers Drama)