I vespri siciliani

Part of Tutto Verdi series I vespri siciliani The Sicilian Vespers is a fiveact Italian opera originally written in French for the Paris Opéra and translated into Italian shortly after its premiere in June 1855 Under its original title Les vêpres siciliennes the libretto was prepared by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work Le duc dAlbe which was written in 1838 and offered to Halévy and Donizetti before Verdi agreed to set it to music in 1854 The story is loosely based on a historical event the Sicilian Vespers of 1282 using material drawn from the medieval Sicilian tract Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia