In March 1282, in Palermo during the Easter celebrations. Duchess Hélène, whose brother has been sentenced to death, is forced by a French soldier to sing. Through her song, she stirs up the Sicilians’ hatred against the French. Montfort, the governor, intervenes and calms everyone down. Henri appears; he has just been pardoned and insults Montfort, unaware that the latter is standing right in front of him... ‘I vespri siciliani’ (The Sicilian Vespers) is a grand opera in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier. Premiered on 13 June 1855 at the Opéra Le Peletier in Paris. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 13 and 17 October 2010.
