Zaira (opera)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Operas by Vincenzo Bellini |
|---|
Adelson e Salvini (1825) |
Zaira is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini (1829), from a libretto by Felice Romani based on the tragedy Zaïre (1732) by Voltaire.
[edit] Performance history
It received its first performance at the Teatro Ducale, Parma, on the 16th May, 1829. The opera was a failure at its premiere and Bellini re-used substantial parts of it for his I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830).
The opera was revived in 1975 in a reconstruction by Rubino Profeta at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania with a cast including Renata Scotto and Giorgio Casellato Lamberti and again in 1990 with Katia Ricciarelli, Ramon Vargas and Simone Alaimo. Recordings exist of both these performances.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, May 16, 1829 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Zaira, favourite of Orosmane | soprano | |
| Orosmane, Sultan of Jerusalem | bass | |
| Nerestano, brother of Zaira | mezzo-soprano | |
| Corasmino, vizir | tenor | |
| Lusignano, father of Zaira e Nerestano | bass |

