Rossini’s Semiramide Overture is generally considered one of his finest operatic overtures. The libretto tells of Queen Semiramis, who ascends to the throne of Babylonia and Assyria by killing her husband. She then falls in love with a young man she doesn’t know is her son, and is ultimately killed by her lover. However, none of this dramatic and violent plot is foreshadowed in the lively and fun overture.