Uraufgeführt im Jahr 1843 an der Mailänder Scala, ist I Lombardi alla prima crociata Giuseppe Verdis vierte Oper. Basierend auf einem Libretto von Temistocle Solera, das Inspiration aus Tommaso Grossis Gedicht zieht, verbindet das Werk Familienfehden, eine Liebesgeschichte und eine epische Kriegserzählung… Aufbauend auf dem Erfolg von Nabucco verwendet Verdi lebendige Musik und kraftvolle Chorensembles, während er die Zensur der damaligen Zeit umgeht. Einige Jahre später überarbeitete er die Oper für eine Aufführung in Paris. Uraufgeführt im Jahr 1847 unter dem Titel Jerusalem, zeigt diese neue Version die Fähigkeit des Komponisten, seine Kunst an verschiedene musikalische Traditionen anzupassen.
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I Lombardi alla prima crociata (The Lombards on the First Crusade) is a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Temistocle Solera. The work premiered on February 11, 1843, at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It was Verdi’s fourth opera: his Nabucco had been a huge success the year before, and he composed this work for a new commission from the director of La Scala, Bartolomeo Merelli. To create his libretto, Solera drew upon Tommaso Grossi’s epic poem in 15 cantos, which recounts the Lombard Crusade. He crafted a plot featuring three intertwining stories: the deadly rivalry between two brothers, Pagano and Arvino, who are in love with the same woman; the love of Arvino’s daughter Giselda for Muslim warrior Oronte, whom she eventually converts; and, as a backdrop, the conquest of Jerusalem by the Lombard crusaders.
Unexpected Censorship
Similarly to his recent work Nabucco, I Lombardi alla prima crociata struck a patriotic chord in a climate marked by the Austrian occupation of Lombardy. The subject matter concerned the church more than it did the police: the Archbishop of Milan was alarmed by rumors that the opera depicted elements of the Catholic liturgy on stage. Verdi refused to revise his music, but agreed to a change in text. At the insistence of the censors, the prayer in the first act — originally titled “Ave Maria” — became “Salve Maria.” Despite these tensions, the premiere was a resounding success, propelled by passages that have since become iconic, such as the trio in the third act or the choral finale celebrating the liberation of Jerusalem, in the tradition of the famous “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco. A few years later in 1847, Verdi revised the work for the Paris Opera. Based on a new French libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustav Vaëz, the work was extensively rewritten from the original Italian: the opera became Jerusalem and premiered in 1847. This version, created in the spirit of French grand opera, demonstrates Verdi’s ability to adapt his early works to the conventions of a different stage, just a few years after his debut.
I Lombardi alla prima crociata on medici.tv
medici.tv is the perfect platform for exploring the early career of Giuseppe Verdi, then a young composer on the rise. In our classical music video streaming catalog — the largest in the world — you’ll find a rich selection of Verdi’s operas, ranging from early works like I Lombardi alla prima crociata to his later mature masterpieces. On this page, we’ve compiled the performances of this operatic drama available on medici.tv — a valuable testament to the Italian composer’s early successes and his ability, even then, to captivate audiences with grand choral ensembles. To continue your exploration of Verdi’s world, be sure to check out our playlist featuring his most beautiful works!