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66-531: The premiere took place at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 19 January 1853, where it "began a victorious march throughout the operatic world", a success due to Verdi's work over the previous three years. It began with his January 1850 approach to Cammarano with the idea of Il trovatore . There followed, slowly and with interruptions, the preparation of the libretto, first by Cammarano until his death in mid-1852 and then with

132-540: A battlefield after being caught in ambush. Manrico tells Azucena that he defeated di Luna in their earlier duel, but was held back from killing him by a mysterious power (Duet: Mal reggendo / "He was helpless under my savage attack"): and Azucena reproaches him for having stayed his hand then, especially since it was the Count's forces that defeated him in the subsequent battle of Pelilla. A messenger arrives and reports that Manrico's allies have taken Castle Castellor, which Manrico

198-459: A civil war broke out; then encountered him again, in disguise as a wandering troubadour who sang beneath her window. When they have gone, Count di Luna enters, intending to pay court to Leonora himself, but hears the voice of his rival in the distance: ( Deserto sulla terra / "Alone upon this earth"). Leonora in the darkness briefly mistakes the count for her lover, until the Troubadour himself enters

264-467: A frequent guest in her royal box with the other cardinals. He forbade women to perform with song or acting, and the wearing of decolleté dresses. Christina considered this sheer nonsense, and let women perform in her palace. There are many perhaps unexecuted drawings for it by Carlo Fontana , bound in an album which passed into the hands of Scottish architect Robert Adam , now at Sir John Soane's Museum , London ( Concise Catalogue ). The theater suffered

330-436: A letter around the time of his intended departure for France, he wrote encouragingly to Cammarano: "I beg you with all my soul to finish this Trovatore as quickly as you possibly can." There then arose the question of where the opera would eventually be presented. Verdi had turned down an offer from Naples, but became concerned about the availability of his preferred Azucena, Rita Gabussi-De Bassini. She turned out not to be on

396-479: A libretto with Piave for what later became Rigoletto in Venice. At this time, it was also the first since Oberto that the composer was beginning to prepare an opera with a librettist but without a commission of any kind from an opera house. In his first letter to Cammarano, Verdi proposed El Trovador as the subject with "two feminine roles. The first, the gypsy, a woman of unusual character after whom I want to name

462-510: A libretto with Piave for what would become Simon Boccanegra , he encountered some legal difficulties in dealing with Toribio Calzado, the impresario of the Théâtre des Italiens, and, with his contacts with the Opėra, agreed to prepare a French version of Trovatore on 22 September 1855. A translation of Cammarano's libretto was made by librettist Émilien Pacini under the title of Le trouvère and it

528-509: A massive sarcophagus, in the somewhat theatrical classical style of Vittorio Emmanuele III and Benito Mussolini . As the Teatro Apollo, the largest lyric theater of Rome, the site witnessed the world premieres of two operas of Giuseppe Verdi , Il Trovatore and Un Ballo in Maschera . Now nothing is left of the original tower nor of the theatre but their name, although in the early 1930s

594-443: A matter of weeks, Verdi was expressing his frustration to a mutual friend, Cesare De Sanctis , at having no communication from Cammarano. His letter emphasized that "the bolder he is, the happier it will make me," although it appears that Cammarano's reply contained several objections, which Verdi answered on 4 April and, in his response, he emphasized certain aspects of the plot which were important to him. These included Leonora taking

660-464: A melodist. Verdi also clearly recognizes the importance of the role of Azucena. Remembering that the composer's initial suggestion to Cammarano was that he wanted to name the opera after her, Budden notes that this character "is the first of a glorious line" and he names Ulrica (from Ballo ), Eboli (from Don Carlos ), and Amneris (from Aida ) as followers in the same vocal range and with the same expressive and distinct qualities which separate them from

726-564: A pontifical prison. Prisoners included Benevenuto Cellini who experienced the dungeon's lightless cells, one of which was known as "the pit", Beatrice Cenci , and Giordano Bruno who was imprisoned here before being burned alive in Campo de' Fiori . In 1659-1660, it was used during the infamous Spana Prosecution . When the New Prison ( Le Carceri Nuove ) was built in Via Giulia , Tor di Nona

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792-501: A smaller theatre bearing the name Teatro Tordinona was built on the Via degli Acquasparta , near the original site. It remains a going concern, presenting works by Luigi Pirandello and contemporary theater. At the end of the 19th century, the neighborhood was partially destroyed because of the construction of the Lungotevere , the alleys bordering the river. The whole north side of the street

858-629: A theatrical journal, Verdi received news of Cammarano's death earlier that month. This was both a professional and a personal blow. The composer learned that Cammarano had completed Manrico's third-act aria, "Di quella pira" just eight days before his death, but now he turned to De Sanctis to find him another librettist. Leone Emanuele Bardare was a young poet from Naples who was beginning his career; eventually he wrote more than 15 librettos before 1880. Composer and librettist met in Rome around 20 December 1852 and Verdi began work on both Trovatore and La traviata . His main aim, having changed his mind about

924-423: Is a step backward after Rigoletto ". Budden describes one of the musical qualities as the relationship between the "consistent dramatic impetus" of the action being caused by the "propulsive quality" of the music which produces a "sense of continuous forward motion". Parker describes it as "sheer musical energy apparent in all the numbers". And Budden gives many examples which show Verdi as "the equal of Bellini" as

990-531: Is dead, she cries: Egli era tuo fratello! Sei vendicata, o madre. / "He was your brother ... You are avenged, oh mother!" Today, most opera scholars recognize the expressive musical qualities of Verdi's writing. However, musicologist Roger Parker notes that "the extreme formalism of the musical language has been seen as serving to concentrate and define the various stages of the drama, above all channeling them into those key confrontations that mark its inexorable progress". Here he, like many other writers, notes

1056-660: Is illustrated by the fact that "in Naples, for example, where the opera in its first three years had eleven stagings in six theaters, the performances totalled 190". First given in Paris in Italian on 23 December 1854 by the Théâtre-Italien at the Salle Ventadour , the cast included Lodovico Graziani as Manrico and Adelaide Borghi-Mamo as Azucena. Il trovatore was first performed in

1122-471: Is in the village of Sant'Agata 3.5 km north of the town of Busseto , which itself lies 4.5 km west-north-west of the tiny village of Le Roncole , where Verdi was born. The two villages and the town are today part of the comune of Villanova sull'Arda in the Province of Piacenza . Verdi bought the farmland in 1844 before commissioning the house, which his parents occupied starting in 1848 and which

1188-441: Is ordered to hold in the name of his prince: and also that Leonora, who believes Manrico dead, is about to enter a convent and take the veil that night. Although Azucena tries to prevent him from leaving in his weak state ( Ferma! Son io che parlo a te! / "I must talk to you"), Manrico rushes away to prevent her from carrying out this intent. Scene 2: In front of the convent Di Luna and his attendants intend to abduct Leonora and

1254-638: Is the Carrara-Verdi family, and they live year-round in parts of the Villa. Starting in 2010, Angiolo Carrara Verdi has been managing Villa Verdi which is also partly used as a museum. Visitors are allowed to view five rooms located on the ground floor of the south wing which were occupied by the composer and his wife. Other upstairs rooms were used by servants and guests. The rooms include Strepponi's own room with its original canopy bed, where she died in November 1897;

1320-502: The Anvil Chorus : Vedi le fosche notturne / "See! The endless sky casts off her sombre nightly garb...". Azucena, the daughter of the Gypsy woman burnt by the count, is still haunted by her duty to avenge her mother ( Canzone : Stride la vampa / "The flames are roaring!"). The Gypsies break camp while Azucena confesses to Manrico that after stealing the di Luna baby she had intended to burn

1386-516: The Villa Verdi near his hometown of Busseto), where he had established his parents. But his relationship with his parents, albeit legally severed, as well as Strepponi's situation living with the composer in an unmarried state, continued to preoccupy him, as did the deterioration of his relationship with his father-in-law, Antonio Barezzi. Finally, in April 1851, agreement was reached with the elder Verdis on

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1452-540: The Camellias by Alexandre Dumas fils . What followed is reported by Verdi's biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz who states that the composer revealed that, after seeing the play, he immediately began to compose music for what would later become La traviata . The couple returned to Sant'Agata by mid-March 1852 and Verdi immediately began work on Trovatore after a year's delay. Then, in July 1852, by way of an announcement in

1518-516: The Conte di Luna. As the 19th century proceeded there was a decline in interest, but Il trovatore saw a revival of interest after Toscanini 's 1902 revivals. From its performance at the Met on 26 October 1883 the opera has been a staple of its repertoire. Today, almost all performances use the Italian version and it is one of the world's most frequently performed operas. In French as Le trouvère After

1584-499: The Count sings of his love for her (Aria: Il balen del suo sorriso / "The light of her smile" ... Per me ora fatale / "Fatal hour of my life"). Leonora and the nuns appear in procession, but Manrico prevents di Luna from carrying out his plans and takes Leonora away with him, although once again leaving the Count behind unharmed, as the soldiers on both sides back down from bloodshed, the Count being held back by his own men. Scene 1: Di Luna's camp Di Luna and his army are attacking

1650-474: The Count, but secretly swallows poison from her ring in order to die before di Luna can possess her (Duet: Mira, d'acerbe lagrime / "See the bitter tears I shed"). Scene 2: In the dungeon Manrico and Azucena are awaiting their execution. Manrico attempts to soothe Azucena, whose mind wanders to happier days in the mountains (Duet: Ai nostri monti ritorneremo / "Again to our mountains we shall return"). At last

1716-451: The Naples roster, but expressed an interest in the possibility of Rome. Things were put on hold for several months as Verdi became preoccupied with family matters, which included the illnesses of both his mother (who died in July) and father, the estrangement from his parents with communications conducted only between lawyers, and the administration of his newly acquired property at Sant'Agata (now

1782-457: The Princess. Di Luna loves Leonora and is jealous of his successful rival, a troubadour whose identity he does not know. In order to keep the guards awake, Ferrando narrates the history of the count (Racconto: Di due figli vivea padre beato / "The good Count di Luna lived happily, the father of two sons"): many years ago, a gypsy woman was wrongfully accused of having bewitched the youngest of

1848-708: The US by the Max Maretzek Italian Opera Company on 2 May 1855 at the then-recently opened Academy of Music in New York . The cast included Balbina Steffenone as Leonora, Pasquale Brignoli as Manrico, Felicita Vestvali as Azucena, and Alessandro Amodio as the Count di Luna. The work's UK premiere took place on 10 May 1855 at Covent Garden in London, with Jenny Bürde-Ney as Leonora, Enrico Tamberlik as Manrico, Pauline Viardot as Azucena and Francesco Graziani as

1914-460: The count realizes that he has the means to flush his enemy out of the fortress. He orders his men to build a pyre and burn Azucena before the walls. Scene 2: A chamber in the castle Inside the castle, Manrico and Leonora are preparing to be married. She is frightened; the battle with di Luna is imminent and Manrico's forces are outnumbered. He assures her of his love (Aria: Ah sì, ben mio, coll'essere / "Ah, yes, my love, in being yours"), even in

1980-495: The count's little son along with her mother, but overwhelmed by the screams and the gruesome scene of her mother's execution, she became confused and threw her own child into the flames instead (Racconto: Condotta ell'era in ceppi / "They dragged her in bonds"). Manrico realises that he is not the son of Azucena, but loves her as if she were indeed his mother, as she has always been faithful and loving to him – and, indeed, saved his life only recently, discovering him left for dead on

2046-400: The di Luna children; the child had fallen sick, and for this the gypsy had been burnt alive as a witch, her protests of innocence ignored. Dying, she had commanded her daughter Azucena to avenge her, which she did by abducting the baby. Although the burnt bones of a child were found in the ashes of the pyre, the father refused to believe his son's death. Dying, the father commanded his firstborn,

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2112-487: The distribution of characters in the opera, was to enhance the role of Leonora, thus making it "a two-women opera" and he communicated many of these ideas ahead of time via letters to De Sanctis over several months. Leonora now was to have a cantabile for the Miserere as well as retaining "Tacea la Notte" in act 1 with its cabaletta. Changes were also made to Azucena's "Stride la vampa" and to the Count's lines. Taking into account

2178-513: The dressing room dominated today by the Fritz piano which Verdi used from the time of Rigoletto in 1851 to Aida in 1871; Verdi's bedroom where he slept and worked; plus the study off the bedroom, where Verdi generally kept his accounts, now contains piano scores and much memorabilia relating to Verdi's life. The final room, the Grand Hotel et de Milan room, contains the furniture from Room 157 of

2244-490: The elements of musical form (then often described as "closed forms") which characterize the opera and make it appear to be something of a return to the language of earlier times, "the veritable apotheosis of bel canto with its demands for vocal beauty, agility and range," notes Charles Osborne . Thus, the cantabile - cabaletta two-part arias, the use of the chorus, etc., which Verdi had originally asked Cammarano to ignore, are evident. But Verdi wanted something else: "the freer

2310-582: The face of death. When news of Azucena's capture reaches him, he summons his men and desperately prepares to attack ( Cabaletta : Di quella pira l'orrendo foco / "The horrid flames of that pyre"). Leonora faints. Scene 1: Before the dungeon keep Manrico has failed to free Azucena and has been imprisoned himself. Leonora attempts to free him (Aria: D'amor sull'ali rosee / "On the rosy wings of love"; Chorus & Duet: Miserere / "Lord, thy mercy on this soul") by begging di Luna for mercy and offers herself in place of her lover. She promises to give herself to

2376-448: The fires and rebuildings that theaters are prone to, and was finally swept away when the embankments of the Tiber ( lungoteveri ) were built in 1888; this section was named Lungotevere Tor di Nona . A free-standing white marble fountain (1925) memorializes the theater in its late-18th century transformation as the Teatro Apollo, with suitable theatrical masks, and a small trickle of water into

2442-481: The forms he presents me with, the better I shall do," he wrote to the librettist's friend in March 1851. It was not what he received from his librettist, but he certainly demonstrated his total mastery over this style. Osborne's take on ' Il trovatore is that "it is as though Verdi had decided to do something which he had been perfecting over the years, and to do it so beautifully that he need never to do it again. Formally, it

2508-401: The fortress Castellor where Manrico has taken refuge with Leonora (Chorus: Or co' dadi ma fra poco / "Now we play at dice"). Ferrando drags in Azucena, who has been captured wandering near the camp. When she hears di Luna's name, Azucena's reactions arouse suspicion and Ferrando recognizes her as the supposed murderer of the count's brother. Azucena cries out to her son Manrico to rescue her and

2574-584: The garden, and she rushes to his arms. The Count challenges his rival to reveal his true identity, which he does: Manrico, a knight now outlawed and under death sentence for his allegiance to a rival prince. Manrico in turn challenges him to call the guards, but the Count regards this encounter as a personal rather than political matter, and challenges Manrico instead to a duel over their common love. Leonora tries to intervene, but cannot stop them from fighting (Trio: Di geloso amor sprezzato / "The fire of jealous love" ). Scene 1: The gypsies' camp The gypsies sing

2640-647: The gypsy slumbers. Leonora comes to Manrico and tells him that he is saved, begging him to escape. When he discovers she cannot accompany him, he refuses to leave his prison. He believes Leonora has betrayed him until he realizes that she has taken poison to remain true to him. As she dies in agony in Manrico's arms, she confesses that she prefers to die with him than to marry another (Trio: Prima che d'altri vivere / "Rather than live as another's"). The Count hears Leonora's last words and orders Manrico's execution. Azucena awakens and tries to stop di Luna. Once she finds out Manrico

2706-678: The heart of the city's historic center, between the Via dei Coronari and the Tiber River . Its name commemorates the Torre dell'Annona , a mediaeval tower which once stood there and was later converted into one of the city's most important theatres, the Teatro Tordinona , later called the Teatro Apollo . The Torre dell'Annona was a medieval stronghold of the Orsini family and from the early 15th century acted as

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2772-420: The last-minute requirements of the censor and the consequent changes, overall, the revisions and changes enhanced the opera, and the result was that it was a critical and a popular success. In Italian as Il trovatore The opera's immense popularity – albeit a popular success rather than a critical one – came from some 229 productions worldwide in the three years following its premiere on 19 January 1853, and

2838-407: The new Count di Luna, to seek Azucena. Scene 2: Garden in the palace of the princess Leonora confesses her love for the Troubadour to her confidante, Ines ( Cavatina ( Tacea la notte placida / "The peaceful night lay silent"... Di tale amor / "A love that words can scarcely describe"), in which she tells how she fell in love with a mystery knight, victor at a tournament; lost track of him when

2904-428: The opening Scipione affricano by Francesco Cavalli was performed; also operas by Antonio Sartorio , Giovanni Antonio Boretto and Giovanni Maria Pagliardi . Filippo Acciaiuoli was the first director. The new pope Clement X worried about the influence of theatre on public morals. When Innocent XI became pope, things turned even worse; he made Christina's theatre into a storeroom for grain, although he had been

2970-433: The opera." With regard to the chosen librettist's strength as a poet in preparing verse for opera, Budden also comments that his approach was very traditional, something which began to become clear during the preparation of the libretto and which appears in the correspondence between the two men. Verdi's time and energy were spent mostly on finishing Rigoletto, which premiered at La Fenice in Venice in March 1851. Within

3036-515: The original home was replaced: the two wings had terraces to the front, and there were greenhouses added and a chapel and garages for coaches in the rear. Strepponi and Verdi greatly expanded the garden around the house and planted many trees, some exotic in origin and a few still alive. Apart from his visits to European cities, sometimes wintering in Genoa, and part of the winters of 1862 and 1863 in Russia for

3102-514: The other female role in the opera in which they feature. He quotes from a letter which Verdi wrote to Marianna Barbieri-Nini , the soprano who was due to sing the Leonora in Venice after the premiere, and who expressed reservations about her music. Here, Verdi emphasizes the importance of the role of Azucena: Teatro Apollo The Tor di Nona is a neighborhood in Rome 's rione Ponte . It lies in

3168-542: The payment of debts mutually owed and the couple were given time to resettle, leaving Sant'Agata for Verdi and Strepponi to occupy for the next fifty years. May 1851 brought an offer for a new opera from the Venice authorities, and it was followed by an agreement with the Rome Opera company to present Trovatore during the 1852/1853 Carnival season, specifically in January 1853. By November Verdi and Strepponi left Italy to spend

3234-408: The premiere of La forza del destino , most of Verdi's life was lived at the Villa. After Strepponi's death in 1897, Verdi spent less time there. He personally oversaw the management of the estate and ran a profitable farming business. Today, the Villa is owned by four siblings who are descendants of Verdi's younger cousin, Maria Filomena Verdi, whom Verdi and his wife brought up as a daughter. This

3300-713: The premiere with Margaret Jane Wray as Leonore, Craig Sirianni as Manrique, Greer Grimsley as Le Comte de Luna, Barbara Conrad as Azucena, and the Tulsa Philharmonic . This version was published by Ricordi and the University of Chicago Press in 2001. An updated version of this critical edition by Lawton was published by Ricordi in 2018, and given its premiere at the Festival Verdi in Parma that same year. Rarely given in French, it

3366-405: The present, the centre of Rome has been protected against further destruction. 41°54′5″N 12°28′4″E  /  41.90139°N 12.46778°E  / 41.90139; 12.46778 Villa Verdi Villa Verdi is the estate house that composer Giuseppe Verdi ordered built in 1848 on farmland he had owned for four years and where he lived from that year until the end of his life. It

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3432-470: The soldiers' chorus, where gypsies danced to entertain them. The quality of Verdi's ballet music has been noted by scholar Charles Osborne : "He could have been the Tchaikovsky of Italian ballet" he states, continuing to praise it as "perfect ballet music". In addition, he describes the unusual practice of Verdi having woven in themes from the gypsy chorus of act 2, ballet music for opera rarely connecting with

3498-727: The standard operatic repertoire. How and when Verdi acquired a copy of the García Gutiérrez play is uncertain, but Budden notes that it appears that Giuseppina Strepponi , with whom Verdi had been living in Busseto since September 1849, had translated the play, as evidenced in a letter from her two weeks before the premiere urging him to "hurry up and give OUR Trovatore ". When considering setting García Gutiérrez's play, Verdi turned to work with Cammarano, "the born operatic poet" (according to Budden). Their correspondence began as early as January 1850, well before Verdi had done anything to develop

3564-422: The successful presentation of the opera in Italian in Paris, François-Louis Crosnier, director of l' Opéra de Paris , proposed that Verdi revise his opera for the Paris audience as a grand opera , which would include a ballet, to be presented on the stage of the major Paris house. While Verdi was in Paris with Giuseppina Strepponi from late July 1855, working on the completion of Aroldo and beginning to prepare

3630-553: The themes of the work. Several other revisions focused on Azucena's music, including an extended version of the finale of act 4, to accommodate the role's singer Adelaide Borghi-Mamo . Some of these changes have even been used in modern performances in Italian. In 1990 Tulsa Opera presented the first staging of Le trouvère in the United States using a new critical edition by musicologist, conductor, and Verdi scholar David Lawton. Recorded live for broadcast on NPR , Lawton conducted

3696-408: The two men for the following two months or so, including another letter from the composer of 9 April which included three pages of suggestions. But he also made concessions and expresses his happiness in what he is receiving in the way of verse. During the period to follow, in spite of his preoccupations but especially after he had begun to overcome them, Verdi had kept in touch with the librettist. In

3762-487: The veil and also the importance of the Azucena/Manrico relationship. He continued by asking whether the librettist liked the drama and emphasized that "the more unusual and bizarre the better". Verdi also writes that if there were no standard forms – "cavatinas, duets, trios, choruses, finales, etc. [....] and if you could avoid beginning with an opening chorus...." he would be quite happy. Correspondence continued between

3828-511: The winter of 1851/52 in Paris, where he concluded an agreement with the Paris Opéra to write what became Les vêpres siciliennes , his first grand opera , although he had adapted his earlier I Lombardi into Jérusalem for the stage. Including work on Trovatore , other projects consumed him, but a significant event occurred in February, when the couple attended a performance of The Lady of

3894-561: The young librettist Leone Emanuele Bardare , which gave the composer the opportunity to propose significant revisions, which were accomplished under his direction. These revisions are seen largely in the expansion of the role of Leonora. For Verdi, the three years were filled with musical activity; work on this opera did not proceed while the composer wrote and premiered Rigoletto in Venice in March 1851. His personal affairs also limited his professional work. In May 1851, an additional commission

3960-425: Was completed, after various stops and starts, in 1880. After the death of Verdi's mother his father moved into town, i.e. Busseto. Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi , the opera singer with whom he lived prior to their 1859 marriage, moved into the Villa in 1851. There had been a farmhouse on the property when Verdi bought it, and the composer's building work began as extended wings onto it. But the project grew such that

4026-526: Was first performed at La Monnaie in Brussels on 20 May 1856. There followed the production at the Paris Opera 's Salle Le Peletier on 12 January 1857 after which Verdi returned to Italy. Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie attended the latter performance. For the French premiere, Verdi made some changes to the score of Le trouvère including the addition of music for the ballet in act 3 which followed

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4092-508: Was halted by World War II . During the last years of World War II , the Roman "mercato nero" ( black market ) was located in the Tor di Nona quarter. In the postwar years, although the population had already left the quarter, a strong press campaign led by journalists like Antonio Cederna and intellectuals like Italo Insolera and Giulio Carlo Argan saved Tor di Nona from destruction. From that time until

4158-400: Was offered by the Venice company after Rigoletto' s success there. Another commission came from Paris while he was visiting that city from late 1851 to March 1852. Before the libretto for Il trovatore was completed, before it was scored, and before it premiered, Verdi had four operatic projects in various stages of development. Today, Il trovatore is performed frequently and is a staple of

4224-486: Was presented as part of the 1998 Festival della Valle d'Itria and in 2002 Le trouvère appeared as part of the Sarasota Opera 's "Verdi Cycle" of all the composer's work. Scene 1: The guard room in the castle of Luna ( The Palace of Aljafería , Zaragoza , Spain) Ferrando, the captain of the guards, orders his men to keep watch while Count di Luna wanders restlessly beneath the windows of Leonora, lady-in-waiting to

4290-471: Was pulled down, including buildings like the Teatro Apollo and the palazzo del Cardinale di Parma. Another blow came in the 1910s with the construction of via Zanardelli, which cut the thousand-year link with Via di Monte Brianzo. This accelerated the decay of the quarter, which in the 1940s became part of a development plan as part of the fascist demolition strategy in Rome. As in Borgo and Via Giulia , this work

4356-400: Was rebuilt in 1667 as a theatre patronized by Queen Christina of Sweden and the best Roman company. In January 1671 Rome's first public theatre opened in the former jail. The Teatro Tordinona was inaugurated in January 1671 with the opera Scipione Affricano by Francesco Cavalli , with Antonia Coresi as Scipione and Medea , and Angelica Quadrelli as Sofonisba and Isifile . For

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