La favorite (Donizetti)
Movements
i Spiritu gentil ii O mio Fernando
Notes
La favorita (‘The Favourite’) is a grand opera in four acts to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play Le comte de Comminges by Baculard d’Arnaud. It premiered on 2 December 1840 at the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique in Paris, France. Leonora, the beautiful, mysterious lady who so completely captures the heart of the monk, Fernando, that he forsakes his calling to defeat the Moors in battle to win her hand. Alas, she is the mistress of the king, who is so besotted with her he is determined to defy the pope himself to make Leonora his queen. It’s a tragic opera, so no one wins—except the audience.
