Ernani

Great Performances at the Metropolitan Opera

Ernani — Plot

Verdi's early masterpiece is based on a Victor Hugo play with a complicated plot concerning a young woman and the three men vying for her affections—her elderly uncle, a king destined to become Holy Roman Emperor, and a bandit who is actually an overthrown nobleman. Though there is plenty of action arising from the various passions and grudges scattered among these characters, the opera is best appreciated as a feast of beautiful and dramatic Italianate singing. With virtuosic roles for a quartet of principals, the opera delivers one feat of heroic vocalism after another.

• Release date
• December 17, 1983
• Runtime
• 140 min
• Director
• Kirk Browning

Ernani — Cast

Luciano Pavarotti Ernani Leona Mitchell Donna Elvira Sherrill Milnes Don Carlos Ruggero Raimondi Don Ruy Gómez de Silva

C

Charles Anthony Don Riccardo

R

Richard Vernon Jago

J

Jean Kraft Giovanna MET Orchestra Orchestra