ZORAIDA DI GRANATA Donizetti Wexford Festival Opera

The action takes place during a Spanish attack on the Moorish capital of Grenada, where Almuzir has deposed and killed the legitimate King and usurped his throne. Almuzir is in love with Zoraida, but she is already betrothed to general Abenamet. Machinations ensue and, though Almuzir tries to dispose of Abenamet, the general outwits the ruler by disguising himself as an unknown knight. Will Abenamet finally win the day and the hand of his beloved Zoraida? Any A-Z of Donizetti’s 70 or so operas must eventually come to Zoraida di Granata, but actually, it belongs much higher up the list: a very early work, it was his first big success. The composer was only 24 when Zoraida di Granata was premiered at Rome’s Teatro Argentina in January 1822, although the opera was nearly born under an unlucky star, since the tenor originally cast as Abenamet fell fatally ill during rehearsals. Only a handful of Donizetti’s operas hold a place in the mainstream repertoire, but our appreciation of them has been radically ch