Introductory Matinee I Vespri siciliani

On June 9, a less frequently performed opera by Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Zurich: I vespri siciliani, originally composed for Paris, but entered the repertoire in the Italian version. As so often with Verdi, the main characters in this opera are hopelessly torn between their public obligations and their private desires; the unresolvable conflicts between Monforte and his son Arrigo and the unlivable love of Arrigo and Elena ultimately lead to catastrophe. Director Calixto Bieito, who recently staged a brilliant Eliogabalo in Zurich, and conductor Ivan Repušic, who is conducting a new production in Zurich for the first time, introduce I vespri siciliani, while members of the ensemble present excerpts from the opera.