Bryan Hymel and Michael Volle sing the Act III from Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes. Find out more at www.roh.org.uk/vepres Stefan Herheim’s production of Verdi’s French grand opera Les Vêpres siciliennes (The Sicilian Vespers) was The Royal Opera’s first, created in 2013 to mark the composer’s bicentenary. This epic, five-act work was Verdi’s first written specifically for the Paris Opéra, and in it he fully embraces the elaborate style and traditions of the grand opera genre, while remaining true to his own inimitable style. The result is thrillingly ambitious, including impressive choruses, passionate duets and spectacular showpiece arias for the four principals. Herheim relocates the action to the time of the opera’s 1855 premiere, in the opulence of the Paris Opéra for which it was written. Set designs by Philipp Fürhofer provide a visually stunning setting for Verdi’s intense drama of personal and political tragedies. The production was acclaimed at its premiere, with The Telegraph writing, ‘executed at every artistic level with terrific flair and verve, this is grand opera at its grandest – a gorgeous visual and musical treat’.

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