Overview

Verdi's early masterpiece is based on a Victor Hugo play with a complicated plot concerning a young woman and the three men vying for her affections—her elderly uncle, a king destined to become Holy Roman Emperor, and a bandit who is actually an overthrown nobleman. Though there is plenty of action arising from the various passions and grudges scattered among these characters, the opera is best appreciated as a feast of beautiful and dramatic Italianate singing. With virtuosic roles for a quartet of principals, the opera delivers one feat of heroic vocalism after another.

Cast

Luciano Pavarotti

Ernani

Leona Mitchell

Donna Elvira

Sherrill Milnes

Don Carlos

Ruggero Raimondi

Don Ruy Gómez de Silva