In the long tome of human history, the chapter on slavery is one of the longest, cruelest, and most unforgivable—still tragically current in parts of the world, its legacy reverberates deeply and painfully in just about every country on Earth. In Brazil, slavery was abolished in 1888 with the Lei Áurea (Golden Law), and the following year, penned by a native son, Lo Schiavo (The Slave) premiered in Rio de Janeiro. Born of the imagination of composer Carlos Gomes with a libretto by Rodolfo Paravicini, based on a theatrical play by Alredo d'Escragnolle Taunay, the opera transports us to the 16th century, the era of Portuguese colonialism.
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