About the work
Tragedia lirica in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, which Donizetti had already composed in 1838 for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. King Ferdinand II banned the planned 1838 production because he considered the martyrdom of a Christian saint unsuitable for the "profane" opera stage; Donizetti then reworked the piece with Eugène Scribe into the four-act Parisian grand opera "Les martyrs" (premiered 1840). The original Italian version, "Poliuto", did not reach the stage until 30 November 1848 at the Teatro San Carlo — months after Donizetti's death.
Plot
The Armenian nobleman Poliuto is secretly baptised a Christian, while his wife Paolina initially remains devoted to the pagan cults. When Poliuto's faith is discovered, Paolina, by then converted herself, willingly follows him to death: both are thrown to the lions together in the arena.
Cultural significance
Despite its premiere being delayed by a decade, the more compact Italian version became one of Donizetti's more successful works in the later nineteenth century, while the Paris version "Les martyrs" largely disappeared from the repertoire.