Lyric drama in four parts on a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, Ernani made his debut at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice on March 9, 1844. For Verdi it was the first engagement in a theater other than the Scala that allowed him not only to try his hand with a new audience and new needs, but also to meet the young Murano poet Piave, with whom he would have established a long working relationship and friendship. The libretto was based on the play by Victor Hugo Hernani, considered at the time a cornerstone of French literary and theatrical romanticism. The plot, set in Spain in the early sixteenth century, intertwines the two narrative levels of action and sentiment. Ernani, banished at the head of the conspiracy against King Charles and under whose disguise the noble Don Giovanni d’Aragona is hiding, madly loves Elvira, already betrothed to his uncle Don Ruy de Silva, but also desired by the king. In addition to the love quadrilateral characterized by the eternal conflict between love and honor, duels, riots, disguises and twists follow one another in the work accompanied by fast-paced music, with continuous changes of gear and with the passionate air of solo and choral melodies which guaranteed the public favor for the fifth Verdi title right from the very first reruns.

Thanks to Fondazione CR Firenze, the performance of 11/18/2022 is offered to the public with a 50% discount on tickets for each sector

New staging

Thanks to Ferragamo

The performance of November 10, 2022, will be broadcast live on Rai Radio 3

PRESS RELEASE