About the work
Opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a libretto by Felice Romani (acts 1 and 2) and Girolamo Maria Marini (act 3), following the French play 'Adèle de Lusignan ou La fille de l'archer'. Donizetti was commissioned by the Roman impresario Vincenzo Jacovacci; because Romani never finished revising his own earlier libretto 'La figlia dell'arciere' (1833), Marini had to supply the third act at short notice, and Donizetti arrived in Rome only in mid-December 1840 with the finished final act.
Plot
In the 14th century, Count Oliviero is accused of having dishonoured Adelia, the daughter of an archer. Her father Arnoldo demands a marriage to restore her honour, and the Duke agrees – while secretly planning to have Oliviero executed afterwards. When Adelia learns of the plot, she tries to prevent the wedding, but the Duke relents in the end and spares Oliviero's life.
Cultural significance
Written for the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, the title role got off to a rocky start at the premiere on 11 February 1841 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome: tickets had been oversold, riots broke out in the auditorium, and Strepponi and the orchestra reportedly abandoned the performance after a few numbers while the impresario was arrested. Later performances fared much better, but because the title role was so closely tailored to Strepponi's voice, 'Adelia' remained rarely performed even during the 20th-century bel canto revival.