About the work
Grand opera in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi, first performed on 13 June 1855 at the Paris Opera to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier, a reworking of an older text Scribe had originally written for Gaetano Donizetti. In German-speaking countries the work is also known as 'Die sizilianische Vesper'; in Italy it is usually given in the later Italian version, 'I vespri siciliani'.
Plot
The opera dramatises the historical Sicilian Vespers uprising of 1282 against French rule. The Sicilian patriot Hélène and the young fighter Henri confront the French governor Montfort, who turns out to be Henri's biological father. The conflict between family ties and resistance culminates in an uprising that ends in a massacre of the French.
Cultural significance
Despite 62 performances in its first season, the opera's success at the Paris Opera remained lukewarm, with critics faulting the recycled libretto in particular. Because of censorship, it could initially be staged in Italy only in a heavily altered form, retitled 'Giovanna di Guzman' and relocated to Portugal, until it could be performed under its own title from 1861 onward.