Giuseppe Verdi

I Vespri Siciliani: Overture

The first performance of I VESPRI SICILIANI (THE SICILIAN VESPERS), a five-act opera by Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901), took place at the Paris Opera on June 13, 1855, under the direction of Narcisse Girard. Verdi set to music an adaptation of a libretto originally intended for Donizetti, called THE DUKE OF ALBA, based on the 16th-century Spanish tyrant but replacing the earliest Dutch setting with a Sicilian one. When it was first performed in Italy, the text was changed under the title GIOVANNA DE GUZMAN to satisfy the Italian censors. In 1860, it returned to its original title with a new translation. Although not as frequently performed today, it achieved great success with both audiences and critics in Verdi's lifetime. After a sinister introduction, the OVERTURE introduces three of the principal themes in the opera before rushing to a brilliant conclusion. Instrumentation: 1+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2+2Crnt.3.1: Timp.Perc(2-3): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).