Following the Rossini/Sutherland/Horne triumph in the concert performances of Semiramide at Carnegie Hall, it was staged in Boston and taped 5 and 7 February 1965. My tape is of the 5 February performance except for the finale, which is taken from 7 February.
Some notes may be appropriate. The theater was an old cinema exploited but not converted for opera. The result was not a substantial improvement over performance in concert and some of the singing was distinctly inferior to that in Carnegie. During Act I Scene 4, Sutherland slipped and seemed to hurt her back; she was clearly in pain that evening and by all reports was hurting even more two nights later. Listening to the tape later, I was astonished that one cannot hear the effects. Finally, I do not recall details of my taping, but note that I skipped the overture and have some instability on occasion. I believe that this was my first experiment with long, thin tape since I was at the performance and had rigged a timer which may account for losing the overture.
Richard Boynge conducts Boston Opera Group
Semiramide: Joan Sutherland
Arsace: Marilyn Horne
Assur: Joseph
Rouleau
Idreno: Andre Montal
Oroe/Ghost of Nino: Guus Hoekmann
Azema:
Nalora Steele
Mitrane: Chapin Davis
Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Act I
Opening chorus
Trema il
tempio
Eccomi alfine
Io l'attenda Arsace
Serena
il vagghi rai / Bel raggio lusinghiere (Scene 2)
Cesseran
le tue pene
Scene 4 - March
I vostri voti omai
Act II
Scene 1
Ma implacabile di
Dio
Scene 2
Scene
3
La speranza
Il
di gia cade (Scene 4)
Qual densa notte (Scene