Les vêpres siciliennes

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Les vêpres siciliennes (The Sicilian Vespers) is an opera in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to a French libretto by Charles Duveyrier and Eugène Scribe from their work Le duc d'Albe. It is based on a historical event, the 1282 Sicilian Vespers. It was first performed at the Paris Opéra on June 13, 1855.

Like Verdi's Don Carlos, which was also based on a French libretto, an Italian version was quickly prepared. The opera is often performed in Italian under the title I vespri siciliani.

A Spanish version with the title Giovanna de Guzman set to a Spanish libretto by Eugenio Caimi was first performed at the Teatro Regio, Parma on December 26, 1855.

[edit] Characters

Guy de Montfort, Governor of Sicily under Charles d'Anjou, King of Naples (baritone)
Le Sire de Béthune, a French officer (bass)
Le Comte de Vaudemont, a French officer (bass)
Henri (Arrigo), a young Sicilian (tenor)
Jean Procida (Giovanni da Procida), a Sicilian doctor (bass)
La Duchesse Hélène (Elena) (soprano)
Ninetta, her maid (contralto)
Daniéli (Danieli), her servant (tenor)
Thibault, a French soldier (tenor)
Robert (Roberto), a French soldier (baritone)
Mainfroid (Manfredo), a Sicilian, adherent of Procida (tenor)