Ernani Elijah Moshinsky 's acclaimed production of Verdi's four-act opera - based on the swashbuckling play by Victor Hugo - was first seen at Welsh National Opera. Donald Macleod introduces tonight's performance given by English National Opera at the Coliseum in London.
English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, conductor David Parry Act
8.15 The Red Waistcoat
Theophile Gautier - he of "art for art's sake" fame - went to the premiere of Hernani in 1830 and wore a red waistcoat.
This was not usual apparel forthe theatre. but Hernani was no ordinary play. That first night and the red waistcoat were remembered throughout the Romantic period, as Valentine Cunningham discovers.
8.35 Act 2
9.10 Verdi and Emani Verdi 's biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz talks about the composer's long battle with the censors and discusses how he managed to overcome their attempts to stifle his creative powers.
9.30 Acts 3 and 4