Oberto, Conte dl San Bonifacio
Piers Burton-Page and Michael Oliver introduce a concert performance given earlier this month at the Royal Festival Hall in London, of Verdi's very first opera, which was first performed at La Scala, Milan, in November 1839.
The action is set in Bassano, northern Italy, in the year 1228.
It is the wedding day of Riccardo and Cuniza. But Riccardo's dark past is about to catch up with him - in the form of Leonora and her father.
Oberto. Sung in Italian.
Royal Opera Chorus,
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conductor Simone Young Actl
7.45 Verdi — the First Stage
Sarah Lenton considers the state of Italian theatre - and particularly La Scala, Milan - when Verdi encountered it in 1839. 8.00 Act 2
See also Friday 7.25pm