Il corsaro

Il corsaro
Opera by Giuseppe Verdi
"The Parting Of Corrado and Medora" by Charles Wynne Nicholls
Librettist	Francesco Maria Piave
Language	Italian
Based on	Lord Byron's poem The Corsair
Premiere	25 October 1848 (1848-10-25) Teatro Grande, Trieste

Il corsaro (The Corsair) is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Lord Byron's poem The Corsair. The first performance was given at the Teatro Grande in Trieste on 25 October 1848.

The composer expressed interest in Byron's poem The Corsair (along with The Two Foscari and others) as early as 1844 when he was planning an opera for Venice, but a suitable baritone was not available. In 1845, (before it was determined that I masnadieri was to be the opera presented in London), the composer had contracted with the Milanese publisher, Francesco Lucca, for three operas, including Attila and one for London.

Three things prevented it from being I masnadieri at that time: firstly, Verdi's illness postponed any opera for London for almost a year; secondly, he demanded that the work be Il corsaro and that it be written by Piave, who had begun work; and, thirdly, by 1846 and the planning for London continuing, Verdi became more interested in I masnadieri or Macbeth ("in that order" notes Budden), but with the long-term view being that one of them would be for Florence.

However, Verdi had not lost sight of Corsaro at all, as is demonstrated in a letter to Piave. Impatient because of the delays, Piave had asked for his libretto to be returned to him in order that he might fulfill another commitment. Verdi was shocked: "Give you back Il corsaro, that Corsaro which has always fascinated me and which I've thought about so much, and which you've put into verse with more than your usual care?" The composer continues to explain details of the work on the music he has already done, but notes "I still have to write the opera for Lucca." Piave relented, and he moved ahead on Macbeth 's libretto. But, by the end of the year, when Lucca and the British impresario, Benjamin Lumley were raising the issue of the London contract, Verdi replied that he found Il corsaro "dull (freddo) and theatrically ineffective".

Thus, I masnadieri became the opera for London, and Verdi (and his long-time assistant and student, Emanuele Muzio) traveled to that city at the end of May 1847 for the premiere performance which was held on 22 July 1847, after which the composer returned to Paris - where he remained for two years - while Muzio returned to Milan. After the Masnadieri, in order to satisfy the remaining opera contracted with Lucca, Verdi proposed Il corsaro, was offered a counter proposal which he rejected, and from Paris in February 1848 Verdi sent the completed score to Lucca via Muzio. Budden comments "In no other opera of his does Verdi appear to have taken so little interest before it was staged" Where and when it was to be staged, who the singers would be, and by which stage director was left to the publisher.