CHICAGO—With “Ernani,” Verdi’s fifth opera, his fame took a giant leap. The opera premiered in Venice in 1844, and then went on to world stages in London, Paris, and New York, making the Italian composer an international superstar in his own time.
Based on the Victor Hugo play, “Hernani,” with the libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, “Ernani” takes place in 16th-century Spain and revolves around a love quadrangle. At the center of the tale is the nobleman Ernani who has become an outlaw after the murder of his father and the confiscation of his estates. He is motivated by two passions: to revenge his father’s death and to marry Elvira, the woman he loves. But to have her for his wife, Ernani must first save her from the clutches of her aged uncle and guardian, Don Silva, who has plans to marry her, as well as from Don Carlo, the King of Spain, who also desires her hand.
