Ernani Tickets

Giuseppe Verdi, the legendary director who has masterpieces like Oberto, I due Foscari, Nabucco, Stiffelio, Rigoletto, La Traviata and Otello on his credit, directed Ernani in 1844. The four – act operatic drama lirico Ernani was based on a play by Victor Hugo named Hernani, and had an Italian libretto written by Francesco Maria Piave. The opera made its debut in 1944 at La Fenice Theater, Venice. Ernani also had the privilege to be the first opera ever that was completely recorded in 1904.

After a year of successful performances at Venice, Italy, the opera was premiered in London, UK in 1945 at Her Majesty’s Theater. The opera was performed for the first time in the United States in 1947. The opera has always remained one of the most famous and awaited performances at many venues in the world, the most significant being Metropolitan Opera, New York. By 2008, the performances had already numbered over 88 and still the popularity has remained unparalleled. Among other significant places that have hosted Ernani include Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, the Met and La Scala. The opera has also been performed recently by companies like Melbourne City Opera and Opera Boston.

In four acts, Ernani narrates the beautiful story of a kind of bandits named Ernani, who struggles to get his love that is about to be married forcefully to another old man named Silva. The first act also tells how Ernani encounters his love, Elvira and the king Carlos, while Silva watches them. Ernani also plans to abduct Elvira so that she can flee from Silva’s captivity and the two lovers can live together a happy life. However, his beloved is held captive by King Carlos.

In a great dramatic presentation as the story unfolds, the opera shows how a noble gentleman Ernani who has been forced to become a king of bandits keeps his promise and does not even care for his own life when it comes to his promise. The opera has a very strong story, and perfection in perfomances by the actors makes the whole act a masterpiece. Whenever the opera has been performed, the audience has always remained glued to their seats right till the last scene. The tragic moments in the drama make the audience have tears in their eyes, and no one can resist applauding for the wonderful presentation of the opera.
The opera Ernani is the first opera in history that has ever been recorded, and was released in 1904 by HMV in England, when it was released on 40 single sided discs. However, it was recorded later on multiple occasions, including the recordings by conductors Lorenzo Malajoli in 1030, Fernando Previtali in 1950, Dimtri Mitropoulos in 1957, Thomas Schippers in 1967, Antonio Votto in 1969, James Levine in 1983, Riccardo Muti in 1983, Richard Bonynge in 1987 and Antonello Allemandi in 2005. The original production that was performed on March 9, 1844 was conducted by Gaetano Mares. In that performance, the lead roles of Ernani, Elvira, Silva and Carlos were performed by Carlo Guesco, Sophie Loewe, Antonio Selva and Antonio Superchi respectively.

Ernani has been revived many times in history, and every time it is performed, it takes the audience in an altogether different era of dramatic and theatrical productions. Written by legends, and performed to perfection by some of the best performers in the field, Ernani tickets promise you a masterpiece that you would not forget for a very long time!