Zaira (opera)

Zaira
Opera by Vincenzo Bellini
Orosmane and Zaïre in an 1832 production of Voltaire's stage play
Librettist	Felice Romani
Language	Italian
Premiere	16 May 1829 (1829-05-16) Nuovo Teatro Ducale, Parma, now the Teatro Regio di Parma

Zaira is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini set to a libretto by Felice Romani which was based on Voltaire's 1732 tragedy, Zaïre. The story takes place in the time of the Crusades and the opera's plot involves the heroine, Zaira, struggling between her Christian faith and her love for Orosmane, the Muslim Sultan of Jerusalem.

It was Bellini's fifth opera, following quickly after his February 1829 composition and premiere of La straniera at La Scala.

Zaira received its first performance at the "Nuovo Teatro Ducale" in Parma (now the Teatro Regio di Parma) on 16 May 1829. Although it had been expressly written for the theatre's inauguration, it was a failure at its premiere.

At around the time that Bellini was in discussions with impresario Domenico Barbaja about a second opera for La Scala to follow La straniera, the composer reported to his friend Francesco Florimo in Naples that he had been approached in August 1828 by another impresario, Bartolomeo Merelli, about writing the inaugural opera for the soon-to-be completed Teatro Ducale (now the Teatro Regio) in Parma which was due to open the following year on 12 May 1829.

The offer to write the opera to inaugurate the house had originally been extended to Rossini, but he had declined due to his work on Le comte Ory for Paris and, while other composers were considered, in November 1828 the offer was made to Bellini, with the subject to be Cesare in Egitto, to be set to a libretto written by a Parma lawyer, Luigi Torrigiani. However, Bellini made it a condition of his contract that he must approve the subject and, over the Parma lawyer's objections and his attempt to persuade him and Henriette Méric-Lalande, the chosen prima donna, to accept this work, Bellini stated a preference for working again with Romani, who himself proposed two subjects.