Based on the play by Voltaire, Semiramide is the final opera Rossini would compose for the Italian audience and one of the most fascinating examples of his masterful dramatic brilliance. It was no coincidence that Giuseppe Verdi once said his “own dramatic sense would not have evolved so quickly without Semiramide”. This masterpiece and its wealth of dazzling vocal parts are returning to the Metropolitan Opera after an absence of nearly 25 years with Maurizio Benini, a “native speaker” of the bel canto style, on the conductor's podium. Heading up the star cast is Angela Meade, who will portray the title character, the murderous queen of Babylon, in breathtaking duets – taxing for both singers involved – with Arsace, a trouser role sung by Elizabeth DeShong. Depicting the psychological development of Prince Assur, which eventually culminates in a mad scene, will be Ildar Abdrazakov and his ringing bass and amazing dramatic temperament. In the role of the Indian king Idreno, Javier Camarena is only the third singer in the nearly 140-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to be allowed to give an encore, and two years later the audience would only let the performance proceed after he had given two encores. Ryan Speedo Green, a singer who emerged from an impoverished childhood to conquer the world's opera houses, will take the stage as the high priest Oroe.

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