New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Season 12 of GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET continues Sunday, July 8 on PBS (check local listings) with a rare Met performance of Rossini's masterpiece Semiramide, starring
Angela Meade as the titular
Queen of BABYLON and
Elizabeth DeShong as the warrior Arsace. Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov and Ryan Speedo Greencomplete the all-star Bel Canto cast.
John Copley's production takes place in Ancient Babylon, where Assur comes to the temple of Baal in hopes that
Queen Semiramide will choose him as the successor to the fallen King Nino. His plans for the throne are quickly thwarted by the arrival of the warrior Arsace, who was summoned by the queen and is announced to become both king and her husband. The ghost of Nino appears and proclaims that the warrior will reign, but only after a victim is sacrificed in atonement, leading Arsace to vow vengeance. Semiramide later denies Assur's claim that she promised her hand in marriage in return for arranging Nino's murder. Arsace soon learns that he is the true crown prince of Babylon, the long lost son of Nino and Semiramide, and that the queen and Assur are responsible for his father's assassination. Arsace reveals himself to Semiramide as her son, but cannot bring himself to kill his mother, against her orders. Semiramide attempts to save Arsace from Assur, who is waiting to ambush Arsace at Nino's tomb, but her heroic effort ends tragically at the hands of her son when she is mistaken for her accomplice in the dark.Maurizio Benini conducts. Susanna Phillips hosts.
Short TV Listing:
See Rossini's masterpiece with
Angela Meade as the
Queen of BABYLON and
Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace. (99/100)
Long TV Listing:
Experience Rossini's masterpiece starring
Angela Meade as
Queen Semiramide and
Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace, the Queen's fiancé and her own son. Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov and Ryan Speedo Green complete the cast. Maurizio Benini conducts. (246/250)
Airdates:
National: Sunday, July 8 at 12:00 p.m. on PBS
New York metro area: Sunday, July 8 at 1:00 p.m. on THIRTEEN
Notable Talent:
Angela Meade - Semiramide
Elizabeth DeShong - Arsace
Ildar Abdrazakov - Assur
Javier Camarena - Idreno
Ryan Speedo Green - Oroe
Run time: 3.5 hours
Production Credits:
Maurizio Benini - Conductor
John Copley - Production
John Conklin - Set Designer
Michael Stennett - Costume Designer
Gil Wechsler - Lighting Designer
For the Met, Matthew Diamond directs the telecast. Tim Martyn is music producer. Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park are supervising producers, and Louisa Briccetti and
Victoria Warivonchik are producers.
Peter Gelb is executive producer. For Great Performances, Bill O'Donnell is series producer and
David Horn is executive producer.
Underwriters:
Corporate support for GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET is provided by Toll Brothers, America's luxury home builder®. Major funding for the Met Opera presentation is provided by the
National Endowment for the Arts. This Great Performancespresentation is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, The
Agnes Varis Trust, and public television viewers.
Series Overview:
Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, bringing the best of the Metropolitan Opera into the homes of classical music fans across the United States.
