About the work
Melodramma in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini to a libretto by Domenico Gilardoni, first performed on 30 May 1826 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Bellini's first opera staged at a major house. It was originally titled 'Bianca e Gernando', since the name 'Fernando' was reserved on a royal stage for the Neapolitan crown prince Ferdinando. For a revised version in 1828 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, on which Felice Romani also worked, the title could be changed to 'Bianca e Fernando'.
Plot
The usurper Filippo holds the supposedly dead Duke Carlo prisoner and intends to marry his daughter Bianca. Carlo's son Fernando, raised in exile, returns in secret, learns of Filippo's plot, and together with Bianca and loyal followers frees their father from prison. Once Filippo is disarmed, the opera ends with the family reunited.
Cultural significance
The premiere's success brought Bellini the commission for his first opera in Milan, which established his reputation. Despite the title, Bianca and Fernando are siblings rather than a couple — the story centres on freeing their wrongfully deposed father.