About the work
Donizetti composed Dom Sébastien in 1842–43 as a five-act grand opéra for the Paris Opéra, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe based on Paul Foucher's play Don Sébastien de Portugal. It premiered on 13 November 1843 at the Opéra (Salle Le Peletier) — Donizetti's last opera to reach the stage during his lifetime.
Plot
The work dramatizes the legend of King Sebastian I of Portugal, who led an army into Morocco in 1578 and died or vanished at the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir. His unexplained death gave rise to Portuguese Sebastianism, the belief in his eventual return, which the opera weaves into a court intrigue and love story.
Cultural significance
The Paris premiere met a reserved response, while the German-language version at Vienna's Kärntnertortheater in 1845 was a major success. Donizetti's only completed grand opéra then fell into obscurity for decades before a revival from the 1990s onward; a 2004 critical edition reconstructed the original French version, which also calls for the bass clarinets newly invented by Adolphe Sax.