Bruno Lazzaretti

Live from La Scala Saturday 06 July 1985

I Vespri Siciliani must me Verdi's most underrated masterpiece. Most people are put off by the fact that it has 5 acts, therefore they conclude that it must be incredibly long. It is long but not as long as some people may fear as most of the acts are under half an hour each. The total length of the DVD in question is 171 minutes, just under 3 hours, including titles at the beginning, applauses and curtain calls between the acts and at the end. The opera contains Verdi's most powerful overture and a number of very elegant arias, duets and ensembles for the principals.

The story is by the dramatist Carlo Gozzi and dates from 1762, telling of the Chinese princess Turandot, who sets her suitors three riddles in order to marry her. Only the suitor who solves the riddle may ask for her hand in marriage, otherwise death awaits.