TV REVIEW : ‘Semiramide’ Opens Met Opera Series

A new production of Rossini’s “Semiramide,” taped last December, opens the “Metropolitan Opera Presents” series tonight (at 7:30 on KCET Channel 28, at 8 on KPBS Channel 15). The opera seria, not heard at the Met since 1895, receives a musically sumptuous, dramatically decent performance.

The Met’s ubiquitous music director, James Levine, is not on the podium this time. But James Conlon conducts with discipline and brio that make the 3 1/2 hours seem short.

His cast includes three distinguished bel-canto specialists and all, a few pitch problems aside, are in top form. In the title role, June Anderson makes “Bel raggio” not only a showpiece, but a winningly expressive extension of the heroine’s joy. Horne, now in her late 50s, rips through the coloratura of the hero, Arsace, with almost brazen abandon. She doesn’t venture above the staff much these days, but compensates with low notes that a Sarastro might envy. Samuel Ramey reminds one that, in Rossini’s time, even basses were expected to command a florid technique, and he provides a dazzling mad scene for his Saddam Hussein-like character, Prince Assur.

Stanford Olsen’s dry-voiced, strained Idreno is far from that level. John Cheek is an authoritative Oroe, and Young Ok Shin chirps away thanklessly as Azema.

On television, John Conklin’s sets lose the unvaryingly flat look they had in the theater. The costumes of Michael Stennett elegantly suggest designs at the time of the opera’s premiere in 1823.

John Copley’s formally stylized staging scheme works well. It is not his fault that no one is going to accept Horne as a youthful male warrior, much less Anderson’s son. Anderson looks beautiful even when she goes all out for high notes. But someone should tell Ramey, who seems to like appearing without a shirt, that the close-ups are merciless on flabby biceps.

Brian Large’s camera work is unimaginative, and he completely muffs Semiramide’s death scene. It’s hard to make out who does what to whom.

A narrow black band at the bottom of the screen facilitates reading subtitles. F. Murray Abraham’s voice-of-doom introductions remain mercifully brief.