About the work
Ermione is an azione tragica in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on Jean Racine's tragedy Andromaque. It premiered on 27 March 1819 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, with Isabella Colbran in the title role, Andrea Nozzari as Pirro and Giovanni David as Oreste.
Plot
King Pirro of Epirus, betrothed to Ermione, loves his captive Andromaca, the widow of Hector. To protect her son, Andromaca agrees to marry Pirro while secretly planning to take her own life afterward. The humiliated Ermione orders Oreste, who loves her, to murder Pirro; once the deed is done, she is overcome with horror and regret at her own vengefulness.
Cultural significance
Despite its starry cast, the opera quickly disappeared from the stage, likely because its through-composed structure, breaking with the era's rigid number format, felt unfamiliar to audiences. Only its revival at the Rossini Opera Festival in 1987 restored its place as one of Rossini's most significant serious operas.