Information about I Lombardi

Operas by Giuseppe Verdi

Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio (1839) Un giorno di regno (1840) Nabucco (1842) I Lombardi alla prima crociata (1843) Ernani (1844) I due Foscari (1844) Giovanna d'Arco (1845) Alzira (1845) Attila (1846) Macbeth (1847) I masnadieri (1847) Jrusalem (1847) Il corsaro (1848) La battaglia di Legnano (1849) Luisa Miller (1849) Stiffelio (1850) Rigoletto (1851) Il trovatore (1853) La traviata (1853) Les vpres siciliennes (1855) Simon Boccanegra (1857) Aroldo (1857) Un ballo in maschera (1859) La forza del destino (1862) Don Carlos (1867) Aida (1871) Otello (1887) Falstaff (1893)

I Lombardi alla prima crociata (The Lombards on the First Crusade) is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an epic poem by Tommaso Grossi. First performance: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, February 11, 1843.

In 1847, the opera was revised for performance in Paris as Jérusalem.

Verdi dedicated the score to Maria Luigia, the Habsburg Duchess of Parma, who died a few weeks after the premiere.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, February 11, 1843[1] (Conductor: - )
Arvino, son of Lord Folco	tenor	Giovanni Severi
Pagano/Hermit, son of Lord Folco	bass	Prosper Dérivis
Viclinda, wife of Arvino	soprano	Teresa Ruggeri
Giselda, daughter of Arvino	soprano	Erminia Frezzolini
Oronte, son of Acciano ruler of Antioch	tenor	Carlo Guasco
Acciano, ruler of Antioch	tenor	Luigi Vairo
Sofia, wife of Acciano	soprano	Amalia Gandaglia
Pirro, Arvino's squire	bass	Gaetano Rossi
Prior of Milan	tenor	Napoleone Marconi
Villagers of Milan, palace guards, crusaders, pilgrims, nuns, cut-throats, harem women, warriors - Chorus

Synopsis

Act I: La Vendetta

Scene 1. In Milan, the two sons of Lord Folco, Pagano and Arvino, are reconciled, having previously feuded over the hand of Viclinda. Pagano, who once threatened the life of his brother, has returned from exile. A throng gathers in front of the church of Sant'Ambrogio to celebrate. Viclinda, now Arvino's wife, and their daughter Giselda are on hand to witness the reconciliation. A crusade to the Holy Land is announced and Arvino is to lead it. Pagano secretly vents his enduring frustration to Pirro, Arvino's squire: he still desires Viclinda ("Sciagurata! hai tu creduto"). As nuns sing in the background, Pirro and a gang of cut-throats agree to help Pagano take Viclinda for himself.

Scene 2. At the Folco palace, Viclinda and Giselda are concerned about Pagano and his supposed reformation. Arvino asks them to watch his elderly father, Lord Folco, who is spending the night in Arvino's chambers. Giselda prays (Aria: "Ave Maria"). Pirro and Pagano and their assassins storm the palace. Pagano draws his sword and enter's Arvino's chambers. He emerges with a bloody sword and with Viclinda in his custody. Arvino suddenly appears and Pagano is shocked to learn that in the darkness he has killed his father, not his brother ("Orror!"). A throng calls for Pagano's death, but Giselda cries out against another murder. So Pagano is once again sent into exile.

Act II: L'uomo della Caverna

Scene 1. In Antioch, Acciano and representatives from surrounding territories plot their continued resistance to the marauding crusaders. They have somehow captured Giselda, who is now held captive within Acciano's harem. Sofia, Acciano's head wife and a secret Christian, enters with her son Oronte. Oronte has fallen in love with the captive Giselda (Aria: "La mia letizia infondere"). As Oronte sings of his love, Sofia sees Giselda as a means of converting her son to Christianity ("Come poteva un angelo").

Scene 2. At a cave in the desert outside Antioch, a hermit waits for the arrival of the crusaders. A man appears at the cave and asks the hermit how he may receive forgiveness for his past sins. The man is Pirro, who has somehow become a confidante of Acciano and now controls the gates of Antioch. The hermit counsels Pirro that he will achieve forgiveness if he opens the gates to the approaching crusaders. Thereafter, the crusaders led by Arvino appear at the cave. The hermit learns that Arvino's daughter has been captured by Acciano. The hermit assures them that they will succeed in taking Antioch.

Scene 3. The members of Acciano's harem sing of Giselda's luck in attracting the attentions of Oronte. As Giselda prays (Aria: "Oh madre, dal cielo") sudden shouts warn that the crusaders have invaded Antioch. Sofia rushes in to say that both Acciano and Oronte have been killed. Arvino enters with the hermit. Sofia identifies Arvino as the murderer of her husband and son. Giselda is horrified and recoils at her father's attempted embrace. She declares that this crusade was not the will of God. Arvino draws his sword and threatens to kill her for her blasphemy, but he is stopped by the hermit and Sofia. Arvino declares that his daughter has gone mad.

Act III: La Conversione

Scene 1. The crusaders, joined by Christian pilgrims, sing of the beauty of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Giselda has wandered away from her father's camp. Suddenly, Oronte appears! He was merely wounded, not killed, by Arvino's sword. Giselda and Oronte decide to flee together (Duet: "Oh belle, a questa misera").

Scene 2. In his tent, Arvino rages against his daughter's betrayal. Soldiers arrive to tell Arvino that Pagano has been seen in camp. They call for his capture and death and Arvino agrees.

Scene 3. After a violin prelude, Giselda and Oronte appear at a grotto near the river Jordan. Oronte has been wounded and Giselda bitterly laments God's cruelty. The hermit appears. He tells Giselda and Oronte that their love is sinful but may be purified by Oronte's conversion and baptism. The hermit completes the baptism, and Giselda laments as Oronte dies from his wounds, promising to see her in heaven (Trio: "Qual volutta trascorrere").

Act IV: Il Santo Sepolcro

Scene 1. As Giselda dreams, Oronte appears to her in a vision and tells her that God has granted his prayer: the crusaders will find strength in the waters of the fountain of Siloam (Aria: "In cielo benedetto"). Giselda wakes and sings of her miraculous vision (Aria: "Qual prodigio . . . Non fu sogno!").

Scene 2. The crusaders and pilgrims are despairing that God has abandoned them in the desert ("O signore, dal tetto natio"). Giselda rushes in, announcing the discovery of a spring of water. As all rejoice, Arvino assures his crusaders of his confidence that they will now take Jerusalem.

Scene 3. The hermit, dying from wounds, is brought by Giselda and Arvino to Arvino's tent. The hermit reveals that he is really Pagano. In his dying moments, he confesses to Arvino his penitence for their father's murder and begs forgiveness. Arvino embraces his brother, and Pagano asks for a final view of the Holy City. As Jerusalem appears in the distance, Pagano dies, and the crusaders praise heaven ("Te lodiamo, gran Dio di vittoria").

Noted arias

• "Sciagurata, ed hai creduto...O speranza di vendetta" - Pagano in Act I, Scene 1
• "Salve Maria" - Giselda in Act I, Scene 2
• "La mia letizia infondere...Come poteva un angelo" - Oronte in Act II, Scene I
• "Ma quando un suon terrible" - Pagano in Act II, Scene II
• "Se vano è il pregare...No giusta causa non è d'Iddio" - Giselda in Act II, Scene III
• "In cielo benedetto" - Oronte in Act IV, Scene I
• "Non fu sogno" - Giselda in Act IV, Scene I

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Arvino, Pagano, Viclinda, Giselda, Oronte)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1969	Umberto Grilli Ruggero Raimondi Anna di Stasio Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti	Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Rome Opera Orchestra	Audio CD: Opera D'oro ASIN: B00000FBRS
1971	Jerome Lo Monaco Ruggero Raimondi Desdemona Malvisi Cristina Deutekom, Plácido Domingo	Lamberto Gardelli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Ambrosian Singers	Audio CD: Philips Cat: 000942602
1996	Richard Leech Samuel Ramey Patricia Racette June Anderson, Luciano Pavarotti	James Levine, Metropolitan opera Orchestra and Chorus	Audio CD: Decca Cat: 455 287-2

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company; "ASIN" is amazon.com product reference number.

References

• I Lombardi

Notes

External links

• Libretto
• Aria database