The librettist, Francesco Berio di Salsa, had to invent new entanglements and characters to adapt Forteguerri's chaotic and rambunctious poem into a serious opera for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
Compositional Technique
Rossini used an on-stage brass band for the first time in Ricciardo e Zoraide, a device that later became standard practice in Italian opera.
Recording & Production
This recording is a live performance from the Rossini in Wildbad festival, held at the Trinkhalle, Bad Wildbad, Germany, in July 2013.
Critical Reception
The day after its triumphant premiere, a letter supposedly from the deceased Domenico Cimarosa (a respected Italian opera composer) praised Rossini for returning to the 'true style' with Ricciardo e Zoraide.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rossini focused on musical content, using contrasts between darkness and light, cantabile melodies and musical artistry, and spatial effects to create a subtle musical dramaturgy in Ricciardo e Zoraide.
Composition History
Rossini's opera Ricciardo e Zoraide is based on Niccolò Forteguerri's epic poem Ricciardetto, which Forteguerri wrote as the result of a dare among friends.
