Schubert's heroic romantic opera to a text by Josef Kupelweiser , in a performance given at this year's Maggio Musicale in Florence. The story tells of the opposing armies of King Karl (Charlemagne) and the Moors, united by the undeclared affections of their knights and offspring. Fierrabras, son of the Moorish prince, loves Charlemagne's daughter Emma, and Roland, a knight supporting
Charlemagne, loves
Fierrabras's sister Rorinda.
The two suitors swear a pact of friendship, which is sorely tested amid treachery, imprisonment and the ultimate threat of execution. Sung in German. Introduced by Leo Black.
Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale , conductor Semyon Bychkov