Ep. 119 Zoraida di Granata by Donizetti

Summary

Opera for Everyone: Episode 119 – "Zoraida di Granata" by Donizetti

Release Date: June 17, 2024
Host: Pat Wright
Co-Host: Janet
Air Time: Sundays, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. on 89.1 KHOL, Jackson, Wyoming
Cover Artwork: Rosie Brooks (www.rosiebrooks.com)

---

Introduction

In Episode 119 of "Opera for Everyone," hosts Pat Wright and Janet delve into the lesser-known Donizetti opera, "Zoraida di Granata." Aimed at making opera understandable, accessible, and enjoyable, the episode provides an in-depth exploration of this storied work, discussing its historical significance, plot intricacies, character dynamics, and musical brilliance.

---

Background of the Opera

"Zoraida di Granata" holds a pivotal place in Gaetano Donizetti’s illustrious career. Janet highlights, “[...] this opera is Donizetti's first success. It premiered in 1822 and basically launched Donizetti's opera career.” Pat adds, emphasizing its reception: “[...] the Romans went crazy for it. They were so excited about this 24-year-old composer who had given them all of this spectacularly gorgeous music” ([00:46]).

Despite being Donizetti's fifth opera, it was his breakthrough, celebrated enthusiastically by the audience in Rome. The host mentions, “the Romans didn’t cheer everyone. They cheered it. They carried him and one of the tenors through the streets after the third performance” ([02:07]).

---

Synopsis of "Zoraida di Granata"

Set in 1480 during the final years of the Reconquista in Spain, the opera intertwines themes of war, romance, and honor. The backdrop depicts the waning Muslim presence in Granada as Ferdinand and Isabella's forces close in. However, the essence of the opera remains a poignant love story rife with longing and emotional turmoil.

Key Plot Points:

• Al Muzir: The usurping king of Granada who desires to marry Zoraida.
• Zoraida: A noblewoman torn between her duty and love.
• Abenomet: A military hero and Zoraida’s true love, betrothed to her by her deceased father.
• Ali: Al Muzir’s loyal henchman.
• Inez: Zoraida’s Spanish slave and confidante.

The narrative progresses through intense interactions where Al Muzir schemes to separate Zoraida from Abenomet, leading to a series of confrontations that test the characters' honor and love.

---

Characters and Their Roles

• Al Muzir (Domenico Donzelli): The antagonist, a tyrannical king portrayed by the renowned tenor Donzelli. Pat notes, “He dominates in particular because the second tenor, the other tenor in this, our romantic lead, Abenomet, that role shrunk a little bit” ([26:41]).

• Abenomet (Paul Austin Kelly): The romantic hero, an honorable general in love with Zoraida. Originally intended for tenor Amerigo Spagoli, the role was adapted for contralto Adelaide Mazzanti after Spagoli’s tragic death ([27:03]).

• Zoraida (Magella Kala): The eponymous heroine, caught between her love for Abenomet and her forced engagement to Al Muzir.

• Ali (Matthew Hargreaves): Al Muzir’s deceitful henchman, whose actions complicate the lovers' plight.

• Inez (Cristina Pastorello): Zoraida’s Spanish slave, torn between her loyalty and the impending doom of her homeland.

---

Historical Context and Source Material

The opera is adapted from Jean-Pierre Clary de Florian's 1793 French novel, "Gonzalez of Cordoba or Granada Reconquered," and a Spanish play titled "Zoraida" (1798). Janet expresses enthusiasm about discovering this "rare gem," noting the opera’s exotic setting, “being in Bergamo, where Donizetti grew up [...] focus on the exotic, on the far away” ([10:05]).

The Romantic era's fascination with exoticism is evident, with Spain serving as an alluring backdrop far removed from Italian settings. This cultural lens enriches the narrative, providing vivid scenery and emotional depth.

---

Performance History and Recording Insights

The hosts discuss the original 1822 production and its challenges. Donizetti, initially planning for tenor Amerigo Spagoli, had to adapt the role of Abenomet to contralto Adelaide Mazzanti after Spagoli’s untimely death due to a burst blood vessel caused by competitive strain during rehearsals ([27:25]-[28:10]). This last-minute change impacted the opera’s composition, leading to cuts and adjustments that didn’t detract from its success, instead fostering audience sympathy.

The episode features insights into a 1998 London recording by Opera Rara, conducted by David Parry with the Academy of St Martin's in the Fields and the Jeffrey Mitchell Choir. The cast includes:

• Bruce Ford as Al Muzir
• Paul Austin Kelly as Abenomet
• Magella Kala as Zoraida
• Dominic Natoli as Al Mansour
• Cristina Pastorello as Inez

Pat and Janet praise the recording’s fidelity to Donizetti's vision, especially noting the use of tenors versus contraltos and the implications for modern performances.

---

Musical and Thematic Analysis

"Zoraida di Granata" exemplifies bel canto, characterized by its emphasis on beautiful singing and expressive melodies. Janet and Pat discuss how the opera juxtaposes beautiful music with intense emotional narratives.

Notable Musical Moments:

• Choral Overture ([05:35]): Sets the emotional landscape, portraying the populace’s weariness of war.
• Al Muzir’s Aria ([39:04]): A powerful solo reflecting his obsession with Zoraida and his inability to accept her love for Abenomet.
• Zoraida’s Lament ([34:42]): A poignant aria where she contemplates death over her forced union with Al Muzir.
• Duets and Trios ([40:20], [99:21]): Showcase the characters' conflicting emotions and the tumultuous relationships.

The hosts emphasize the opera’s exploration of honor, sacrifice, and the destructive nature of obsession, all conveyed through Donizetti’s lush melodies and dramatic orchestration.

---

Character Dynamics and Conflicts

The episode delves into the intricate relationships:

• Al Muzir vs. Abenomet: A conflict fueled by jealousy and ambition, leading to manipulative schemes.
• Zoraida’s Dilemma: Torn between duty and love, her character embodies the tragic heroine’s struggle.
• Inez’s Position: As a Spanish slave, her internal conflict adds layers to the narrative, paralleling Zoraida’s own struggles.

Pat highlights the opera’s ability to portray deep emotional conflicts through music, stating, “The fury and the grief is killing each of them and they blame each other. It's just terrible” ([42:34]).

---

Climactic Developments and Resolution

As the opera progresses, tension escalates:

• The Betrayal of Ali ([56:05]): Ali’s confession reveals Al Muzir’s deceit, forcing a confrontation.
• Trial and Duel: Zoraida is sentenced to death, but Abenomet intervenes in disguise, challenging Ali to a duel to save her.
• Al Muzir’s Redemption ([114:09]): Contrary to the novel’s tragic ending, the opera concludes on a redemptive note with Al Muzir expressing remorse and restoring Zoraida to Abenomet, symbolizing the restoration of order and love ([115:12]).

The hosts discuss the divergence from the source material, noting the opera’s alignment with bel canto conventions where resolutions often favor restored harmony over tragic endings.

---

Comparative Insights and Legacy

Janet draws parallels to other operatic works like "Aida," highlighting common themes of love, duty, and cultural conflict. Pat underscores the opera’s unique position as Donizetti’s first success, paving the way for his prolific career with over 70 operas.

Additionally, the hosts reflect on librettist Bartolomeo Merelli’s significant contributions, including his role in revitalizing Verdi’s career with "Nabucco" during a pivotal moment ([91:33]).

---

Conclusion

Episode 119 of "Opera for Everyone" offers a comprehensive and engaging exploration of "Zoraida di Granata," blending historical context, musical analysis, and character study. Pat Wright and Janet skillfully unpack the opera's complexities, making it accessible to both seasoned opera enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Their passionate discussion underscores Donizetti's genius in weaving emotion and melody, reaffirming the enduring relevance of bel canto in conveying timeless human dramas.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Pat Wright: "I won't waste time telling you about the fate of the opera, as you will have heard of it from a thousand reports. I'll just limit myself to saying it was very happy." ([04:16])

• Janet: "It feels like I found a rare gem that I get to turn in my hands and look at and learn more about." ([05:16])

• Al Muzir in Aria: "Love must be silent. It is revenge that will speak." ([105:20])

• Zoraida to Abenomet: "I love you." ([97:14])

---

Final Thoughts:

"Zoraida di Granata" exemplifies the richness of bel canto opera through its dramatic narrative and exquisite music. This episode serves as a testament to Donizetti’s early mastery and the enduring power of opera to tell compelling, emotionally resonant stories.

---

Subscribe and Engage:

For more insightful discussions on opera, subscribe to the "Opera for Everyone" podcast on your favorite platform. Remember to rate and review to support the mission of making opera accessible to all.

Transcript

[Pat Wright]

Welcome to another edition of Opera for Everyone. I am your host, Pat Wright and today I have a brand new co host joining me. Welcome, Janet.

[Janet]

Thank you, Pat. It's wonderful to be here. I love the show.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, thank you, thank you. Well, I am so thrilled that you're here with me. And we're going to do a Donizetti opera that is not probably familiar to most of our listeners.

[Janet]

Today we are going to be listening to Zoraida di Granata. That is Zoraida of Granada in Spain.

[Pat Wright]

Yes. This opera, while the name may not be familiar, has a very special place in opera history, in Donizetti's opera history. Donizetti being one of our three big, big names, at least these days, are big names in bel canto. Beautiful singing, beautiful music. Tell us about why this is special for Donizetti.

[Janet]

Well, this opera is Donizetti's first success. It premiered in 1822 and basically launched Donizetti's opera career.

[Pat Wright]

Yes, that was in Rome in 1822. Right in the early part of the year in January. Because of course, at this point in time, most of the operas, the opera season was carnival, that period of time between Christmas and Lent. That's a very celebratory time. And he was not the first opera on the bill on the rotation. There was another opera before him, but this Zoraida de Granata. The Romans went crazy for it. They were so excited about this 24 year old composer who had given them all of this spectacularly gorgeous music.

[Janet]

Yes. It is set in 1480 during the wars between the Moors and the Spaniards.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, the waning years of the occupation of, well, the final little holdout in Granada of the Muslims in Spain before Ferdinand and Isabella Reconquista, when they get rid of them completely. It's those waning years. So yeah, we have a little bit of military backdrop. Back, back backdrop.

[Janet]

But yes, indeed we do. It's not completely unfamiliar as a theme found in operas.

[Pat Wright]

No. Yeah, we don't. We. This is not a war opera. This is definitely a romance.

[Janet]

It is a romance, I would say. I watched the opera on Operision and I did find that there were a couple points of, of a little bit of violence. I think that's also not rare in opera. There's sometimes people being pushed around. Obviously sometimes people die. That's not the case here. It's definitely a beautiful love story. There is a lot of longing and it's a beautiful opera.

[Pat Wright]

Val Canto, it lives up to the name. It's his fifth opera that he writes Donizetti, but it's his first real big success. The Romans cheer. And the Romans didn't cheer everyone. They cheered it. They carried him and one of the tenors through the streets after the third performance. More on that later.

[Janet]

Oh, my goodness. I did not know that. That's won. That's a. That's a wonderful image.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, they cheered with a military band. And I'll explain why it's the third night a little bit later on. But Donizetti himself was so pleased with the results. And allow me to just quote from a letter that he wrote to really his first formative teacher of music, Giovanni Simone Mer, or also known as Johann Simon Mer. He was from Bavaria, but he became Italian over time. He was very much in Bergamo, where Donizetti grew up, and he had this wonderful school, and he thought of Donizetti as his star pupil, I guess, no surprise. And he did so much not just to teach Donizetti, but to further his career, making connections for him. And in fact, this opera, it's theorized, was originally offered to Maire, because Maire wrote operas as well. And it was originally proposed that Mayor would do this opera for the carnival season. He's like, no, no, no. I'm too busy. I'm too old. I don't want to do it. My young pupil, Donizetti, let's have him do it. So after the success this beautiful, he. He wrote a letter, a long letter of thanks to Mayor Donazetti did. And he said, I won't waste time telling you about the fate of the opera, as you will have heard of it from a thousand reports. I'll just limit myself to saying it was very happy. So we have a happy opera. I mean, it is an opera Seria. There's drama, as you alluded to. But in terms of the reception of the opera, and of course, the gorgeous Donizetti music, it's lovely, and it's very, very happy for us.

[Janet]

When you proposed that we focus on this opera, initially, I was very excited. It is an opera that I had never heard of before. And it feels like I found a rare gem that I get to turn in my hands and look at and learn more about. And it's just very exciting.

[Pat Wright]

Yes, agreed. Agreed. And we'll have a lot more to say, but let's have a little music right now. Let's listen a little bit to the introduction. There's a beautiful overture, but what's known as the introduction, and it truly is just that is a choral piece. And let's listen to Just a little bit of that. Where the members of the chorus are going to set the scene for us, where we are and what's on their minds. Well, that's our first choral piece from Donizetti's Zoraida de Granata. Zoraida of Grenada. And these people of Grenada have told us what's on their minds.

[Janet]

Yes, the populace are singing in this first track, we hear, and they are tired of war. These are the Muslims toward, as you noted, toward the end of the war between the Moors and the Spanish and the. Of the 1400s. And they're tired, they're under siege. They feel the end is near, and they just. They want their hero. They want their hero, Abenomet, to come and present for them and fight for them. And they're tired. But they sing beautifully in their exhaustion, do they not?

[Pat Wright]

That's belle content for you.

[Janet]

It is.

[Pat Wright]

It's so interesting that this opera, written by Donizetti, an Italian, is focused entirely, with one single exception, entirely on the Muslims who inhabited Spain. And at this point, this Reconquista has been occurring, and their lands have been shrinking, shrinking, shrinking. And Granada ultimately is the last holdout. We're about 12 years away from entire Reconquista of the Spanish, of the Iberian Peninsula. But in this opera, the Spanish are referred to a lot, and they're battles that take place off stage. But it's not a terribly political opera, in spite of all this background we're giving. It's honestly not. It's really about the romance. But here we are, and we're focusing on these people, and that's part of this early 19th century, and it's not limited to then, but the Romantic period, a focus on the exotic, on the far away. And believe it or not, for Italy of this period of time, Spain was very far away. It was exotic. And also, the time difference between Donizetti's own period of time and the time that this is taking place.

[Janet]

Yeah, I think some of that exoticism came from the fact that this was a war with people who were from northern Africa, so perhaps not even considered Europeans, and just a very, very exotic people. I mean, we see that all over operas, don't we?

[Pat Wright]

Yes.

[Janet]

Other cultures being considered exotic, whether they're the Chinese or the Japanese, in this case the Moors, the northern Africans. Just a fascination with what isn't around the corner on our block, down the street. It's really quite wonderful. I love it. It feels like we're seeing this part of history through someone else's eyes.

[Pat Wright]

Yes, it does, though. As I've mentioned numerous times on opera for everyone. You don't get your history from opera.

[Janet]

No, you don't. No, you don't. You're absolutely right. I do have to remember that. That this is not the gospel. This is not a history book. No, it's still something that I like to kind of hold in my mind and imagine perhaps alongside the actual facts.

[Pat Wright]

Well, I think it. Honestly, I think it gives set designers and costume designers a lot to work with. Not to say that it has to be actually set in this original setting that Donizetti's opera had in 1822, setting it in 1480, but it does give you something to work with for costumes and sets that can be just absolutely beautiful. Well, as long as we're focusing on the fact that this is this exotic material, we should acknowledge that it was not the librettist. The name of the librettist was Bartolomeo Merelli. Merelli, Quite a famous man in opera himself. We can talk more about him later too. But Merelli was the Librettist for this 1822 version of the opera. Oh, did I mention that there was a revision in 1824 where someone else worked on it?

[Janet]

You have not mentioned that yet. I was waiting.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, we have Jacopo Ferretti, a prolific librettist of this period of time, who helps Donizetti make some changes that he wants to for 1824. But our recording that we're listening to today is of the 1822 version. Merelli does not come up with this out of thin air. Merelli is using pre existing sources. The earliest identified one of this story is a French novel from the late 18th century, 1793. Jean Pierre Clary de Florian wrote a novel, I'll Anglicize it Gonzalez of Cordoba or Granada Reconquered.

[Janet]

Yes.

[Pat Wright]

And this story captured the imagination.

[Janet]

Absolutely. I find myself imagining the scenes when I'm just listening to it. And I'm not watching it. When I'm just listening to it. I'm imagining being at the Alhambra, which is the palace in Granada that was built by the Moors. It's just very. It's a very grand scene to me. Now, the opera that I watched does not take place in Spain. In fact, it's set in the 1990s, around the siege of Sarajevo, I believe. But also a war, tornado kind of exhausted setting with people tired of war and just being exhausted of the whole thing.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, it can, because it's such a focus on the romance, it can move the setting. But the story that captured People's imaginations. So, from this French novel, looking at Spain during this period of time, there were three operas, not just this one, but two others that were based on the same source material. And also a. A Spanish play, Zoraida 1798.

[Janet]

I didn't know that. Are these operas that are still in the repertory these days, or have they?

[Pat Wright]

Well, you said you'd never heard of this opera, and this opera is the best known of these operas, so.

[Janet]

All right. So I'll have to hope another stone is turned, that I'll find one underneath.

[Pat Wright]

Well, and it won't surprise you to know that there are some differences between the original story and. It's reasonably faithful to the original story. But there was a. As many people will know, there was a tendency, definitely in the 18th century and into the early 19th century, a tendency to give some of these operas happy, uplifting endings where wrongs were righted and we didn't all have to end in tragedy. So maybe that's just a little hint of what's to come here.

[Janet]

Well, we know there's no spoilers in opera, don't we, Pat?

[Pat Wright]

We do. We do. No spoilers in opera. That was merely a hint. We'll. We'll get there.

[Janet]

Okay. Okay.

[Pat Wright]

I think it's time to meet one of our main characters, our first character to appear and sing an aria.

[Janet]

Our first character that we'll be meeting is Al Musir. Perhaps we could characterize him as the bad guy. Perhaps he is Zatanor. And I've divided our characters, in my mind and on paper into two groups. We have Team Zorayda and we have Team Al Nusir. So they are in conflict. And Al Nusir is currently styles himself as the king of Granada, having deposed and murdered the previous king.

[Pat Wright]

Right.

[Janet]

And with Team Al Nusir, we have him and we have his friend Ali. So Ali is supportive of Al Musir in his struggle, you might already have guessed, in his struggle to win the hand of Zorayda.

[Pat Wright]

Win the hand of Zoraida is his goal here.

[Janet]

It's all he can think about.

[Pat Wright]

Yes. Al Muzr is going to let us know what's on his mind early on. I mean, this is going to unfold with a lot of introductions and a decent amount of exposition, because, after all, this is based on a novel. So there's backstory and there's feelings to explore. We're pulling in the novel, we're doing what opera does. But let's listen to a little bit of Al Nasir's initial aria and we're going to get a sense of how he feels about a man who is his rival, the man he knows that he has to pry Zoraida away from and how he feels about Zoraida. And it's a lovely tenor aria I la. You're listening to a Donizetti opera here on Opera for Everyone. Zoraida di Granata. Well, Zoraida has not appeared yet, but we've just heard from what they would have called in the bel canto era, the first tenor, the main tenor, and he's a man of a lot of thoughts and passions. He's angry at the fact that he has a rival for the affections of Zoraida. And we just heard the. The populace, once again, briefly chime in. They disapprove of his behavior, of his actions, of his excessive wickedness, is what they say. But then we heard more from this tenor. And he softens when he sings about Zorayda. And he wants his love to be reciprocated. He's not just trying to conquer her, he really wants her to love him back. And he feels very deeply that his love is true.

[Janet]

He does. I feel like in his mind, Zorayda is the last piece in his puzzle. He's winning his war. He thinks he is the king. He's deposed another king to become a king, and now all he needs is the woman of his dreams and everything will be fine.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And then the people, they lament because part of what they are sad about right from the beginning when we heard them, is the decline that seems to be happening in their nation in Granada. This leader of theirs is not an honorable man. He's in a precarious position, and he. And he essentially knows it.

[Janet]

Yeah.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah.

[Janet]

I think he's trying to fool himself a little bit, trying to act brave and show confidence, but I think there are cracks.

[Pat Wright]

For sure. For sure. And then Ali shows up, and the first question, he's in charge of everything. And the first question, of course, that he asks of Ali is, how's it going with Zoraida? Do you think she loves me yet? Does she like me? Help me out?

[Janet]

Yeah. Can you pass on this note? Let me know what she says?

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And Ali's like my friend. She deafens the air with her laments. And even her Spanish slave Inez tries to calm her and is unsuccessful. So here we're getting. Again, we're not a political opera here, but we are getting a little window into the fact that the closest person to Zoraida is her slave inez she's even described in lists of characters of this opera as her slave friend.

[Janet]

Slash friend. Right, exactly. I noted that as well. It makes me feel for Inez a little bit.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, yeah. I mean, Inez sadly doesn't get a lot of time to develop herself fully as a character, but she does. Amazigh then turns his focus onto what the problem is why in the world. After all, he's king, he's handsome, he's powerful. Like, why doesn't she love me? What is wrong? And he focuses on the fact that there's this other man that she says she loves. In fact, this is the man her father had promised she could marry.

[Janet]

Right.

[Pat Wright]

He was raised to be the captain of the army by the prior king, the one who was murdered. And her father promised, yes, you may marry my daughter. And that all went bad because not only was the prior king killed, the father of Zoraida was killed as well.

[Janet]

Yes. Wasn't it Abenemed who we're about to meet, who attempted to rescue Zoraida's father by swapping prisoner position with him? Take me. Let Zorayda's father go. Alas, it did not work.

[Pat Wright]

Yes. And in fact, the Spaniards who had captured Zorayda's father, the story tells us, were so impressed by Abenomet, her true love, they were so impressed by him that they not only released the father, they released him as well. I mean, there's a little bit of a story for you.

[Janet]

Yes. Here are some quality individuals who deserve to be free. Let them go.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And Al Mzu doesn't really care about any of that. He just says I must somehow or another force Abenomet to release Zoraida from the promise to marry. I must break the bond between the two of them. After all, their love can't be as true as my love is for Zoraida.

[Janet]

Right. And their promise to marriage, I believe, is considered a betrothal.

[Pat Wright]

That's why it has to be officially undone.

[Janet]

Exactly. Yeah. That is as close to marriage as you can get. And I think Al Nusir views Abenomet as the one thing standing between him and his total life dream.

[Pat Wright]

Yes.

[Janet]

Having conquered Spain, become king, get his woman. But there's Abenimet, the fly in the fly in the soup. Just, it's not perfect because of Abenomet.

[Pat Wright]

So I'd love to just talk about. First of all, let's acknowledge the fact that these two names can be confusing to an English language speaker. All the men actually in this opera, their name begins with a so Al Muzr is this king, the baddie. Essentially, in this show, Abenimet is the heroic. He's the second tenor. Because of the way the songs are worked out and you have to rank the various people singing various parts. But Abenomet is the romantic hero, the one that Zoraida actually loves. They love one another.

[Janet]

Yes, it's mutual. There's no struggle between them. They want to be together.

[Pat Wright]

And I don't usually talk about the original singers who took these parts, but I think in the case of Zoraida, we need to talk about them because there's quite a story. So Al Muzir, this first tenor that we meet, the. The king of Granada, he's played by a man in the original production named Domenico Donzelli. Donzelli, not to be confused with Donizetti. Like all of the people, people that Donizetti was writing for and was typical of this period of time, the. The composer would write with the particular singers in mind for the part. So he knew he had Domenico Donzelli to sing this part. And he was a very, very well regarded tenor at this period. In fact, he. He sang the lead tenor role in the opera that preceded Donizetti's during this carnarval season in Rome. And he was feted, as I said before, he was feted with Donizetti equally when the crowds were taking them through the streets to cheer them on for their success. And it's an interesting role. He dominates in particular because the second tenor, the other tenor in this, our romantic lead, Abenomet, that role shrunk a little bit from its initial conception to its first performance.

[Janet]

Yes. The role of Abenomet was originally to be played by Amerigo Spagoli. And Donizetti wrote the opera with Amerigo Spagoli in mind. And unfortunately, was it moments or days before the premiere of this opera?

[Pat Wright]

It was during the singing of the previous opera. Both Spagoli and Donzelli were in this opera written by Giovanni Pacini, Caesar in Egypt, Cesare in Igetto. And they were singing, not exactly a duet, but they were having similar lines. And it felt like a little bit like they were trying to outdo each other.

[Janet]

It was a competition.

[Pat Wright]

And Spigoli burst a blood vessel.

[Janet]

And not only did he burst a blood vessel, but that ended his life. He died.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, he lingered for a few days. It was just wrenching.

[Janet]

He was incapacitated. And as a result, the pieces of music that Donizetti had written with Spagoli in mind, he wound up cutting them.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. I mean, the role could not be cut. But because of the adaptation that Donizetti had to do, not being able to find a tenor. So if you can't find a tenor, what do you do?

[Janet]

You find a bass?

[Pat Wright]

Well, in this case, he found a contralto.

[Janet]

A contralto?

[Pat Wright]

Yes, a woman. That's the lowest female voice. So he found. And people were accustomed to women singing men's roles.

[Janet]

This became a trouser roll.

[Pat Wright]

So Donizetti had to adapt his music to the contralto voice as opposed to a tenor voice. And part of that adaptation meant shrinking the role just a bit, with some of the pieces being cut because they couldn't all be included. For this woman singing this role, she.

[Janet]

Didn'T have the range to sing the tenor pieces. You needed a tenor.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, she's not a tenor. She was a contralto, so she did very well. She was not the top one feted, but everyone was happy. It's not like it spoiled the opera. And in fact, I've heard some say that people being sympathetic to that difficulty of this tenor who died, having to be replaced at the last minute, made some of the audience listen with sympathy to this opera when they first heard it.

[Janet]

That's helpful.

[Pat Wright]

Possibly. Possibly. I mean, they also had a bit of a rough go, because this Giovanni Pacini, this other composer whose opera went first during the period he became kind of known for, I mean, he. He said it was other people doing it. His mistress, for example, or just the people who supported him or his partisans, as they became known. Those folks tried to disrupt other premieres of operas that were taking place that might be seen in competition with his own. So there was a little bit of an effort of Pacini's supporters to make him look better by making Donizetti look worse. After all, he was the new kid on the block. Why, who could. You could totally make people think he wasn't up to the task. At least that's what Pacini or his supporters thought. His mistress, by the way, was the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte.

[Janet]

Oh, my goodness.

[Pat Wright]

I mean, it's the connections.

[Janet]

It's too much. I would like to point out that you are saying Pacini, not to be confused with Giacomo Puccini.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, much later on.

[Janet]

He wasn't around at this time. Right. Yeah. Let's be clear. We're still in the early 1800s, well before our good friend Giacomo Puccini.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Giacomo Puccini is. Yeah. He's almost 100 years later.

[Janet]

Yeah. We have a lot of similar names in this episode, do we not?

[Pat Wright]

Oh, yeah. We do.

[Janet]

Donzeli, Donizetti, Al Musir, Al Mansar, Al Benomet. Just a lot of similar names.

[Pat Wright]

The partisans were not successful. Perhaps the audience was sympathetic to the difficulties that Donizetti had to overcome, or perhaps they were just overwhelmed with his beautiful music. At any rate, they loved what they heard.

[Janet]

The name of the substitute contralto in the absence of Mr. Spagoli was Adelaide Mazzanti.

[Pat Wright]

Yes. And she did a fabulous job. Interestingly, her name did not make it into the libretto, which was essentially the program of the day.

[Janet]

The woman saves the day and doesn't get a line in the program. That is just tragic.

[Pat Wright]

I think they fixed it as time went by, but not initially. There was a lot of sympathy for this tenor and then for his widow and children. And in fact, one of the performances early on of this very successful Zoraida was done as a benefit to his widow and children. A lot of sympathy and a lot of feeling for him. Well, back to our opera. I think it's time to meet another major character, Zoraida herself.

[Janet]

Yes, we're going to meet Zoraida, and she has a lot to say about the predicament that she's in. She's lost her father. She is being coerced, perhaps even we could use a stronger word, to abandon her great love, Abenomet, and pair up with Al Musir, the bully king of Granada. And she's very sad and very exhausted by all of this.

[Pat Wright]

Yes, it's so bel canto. This piece of music really struck me. It's this lovely tune, and I don't speak Italian, and I have a hard time picking it out when I do. Singing opera, it sounds almost cheerful. But this is a lamentation on her part, and she is contemplating death as a preferable solution to what's going on in her life. And she says, hope. I don't even want hope. It just makes my grief greater.

[Janet]

Sa.

[Pat Wright]

That was Zoraida, our title character here on Opera for Everyone, Donizetti's first successful opera, Zoraida di Granata. And she is pouring her heart out.

[Janet]

Zoraida is so sad and in such struggles that she's considering death might be better than this. And we even have a group of slaves in this scene trying to calm her and put her mind at ease. They say, lovely maiden, calm your heart, think of empire and change your love. They don't want Zorayda to be despondent. They want to give her hope.

[Pat Wright]

It's interesting. The slaves. Her closest confidant is a slave that's Inez named character. But this group of slaves who try to console her are also on her side. Maybe they're relating to the fact that she's feeling oppressed, and they're oppressed.

[Janet]

They could also be following the lead of the king who set Abenomet and her father free.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, the Spanish king. That's an interesting thought, isn't it? Nevertheless, these Spaniards have been conquered in war and are being held against their will. We need to remember that that's how these slaves came to be slaves. But once the majority of the slaves depart, she's left with her close confidant and personal slave, Inez. And I think it's just a fascinating method of exposition here that she says, listen, Inez, you're kind of new here. You haven't been here long. Let me fill you in. And P.S. we get filled in too.

[Janet]

Indeed. So Ines is trying to understand what Zoraida is so upset about and to share her troubles with her as her friend. And it's here where Zoraida actually tells the story of how she came to know Abenomet and how their love grew over time and what he means to her. And how when her father was imprisoned by the Spanish, Abenomet ran to her father's rescue and attempted to save him, and their love grew from there.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. It's a way of making us wonder for a moment because of the way that the Spanish king Gonzalvo treated Abenomet and appreciated his honor. It makes you wonder if maybe the now history would say no. But within the story of this opera, it makes you wonder if the king had not been deposed and killed by our Badi in the show Al Muzir, if perhaps they wouldn't be in this conflict, this war right now with the Spanish and the people of Granada.

[Janet]

Perhaps there was some reasonableness in him that would have encouraged discourse rather than war.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. But we quickly turn back to the romance of it all, where Zoraida explains that the wicked Al Muzr had a blind passion for me and my hopes of being with the man my father had promised me to and I had expected to become my husband. That's all been dashed. He has usurped the throne and he is going to force me whether I want it or not. And yet I resist. I am strong. I resist, indeed.

[Janet]

And in the staged opera that I watched, Al Muzir actually gets physical with Zoraida.

[Pat Wright]

I think that's a modern touch, but yes.

[Janet]

Right, okay. It might not be, though.

[Pat Wright]

Who knows?

[Janet]

There's a lot of Violence in opera.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And also, her beloved, who was general of all of the armies, was demoted and he's now, in fact, in house arrest. We're going to meet with him shortly, but now we have to have an interaction between these two main characters that we have already met. The headstrong Zorayda and the besotted. Shall I say besotted Al Muzr, the king.

[Janet]

He's going to plead with her to become his abandon. Abenimet, be mine.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, it's fascinating. And he knows. He knows that demanding and being pushy is really not the way to go. He says, my anger prevents me from finding a way into her heart. But he can't vanquish his own anger because he's mad. He is really mad. Why won't you love me? It's never going to work to take that strategy. But he does simply not understand why she doesn't want to be on the throne with him. Be his queen.

[Janet]

He says, but are you aware that I love you? And she says, you love in vain.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. I have no interest in you, not in your throne.

[Janet]

It's classic. She tells him point blank, absolutely not. And he just. He can't comprehend this.

[Pat Wright]

Well, there's this wonderful duet with the two of them. This may be one of my favorite pieces in the entire show where they are both accusing the other one of making them suffer. Why are you making me suffer? He wants to know. Why are you making me suffer? She wants to know.

[Janet]

They are two immovable forces. They simply will not capitulate to what the other wants. This is just nuclear. There's no way this can resolve. Happily, Sa.

[Pat Wright]

Zoraida and Alzir are not going to see eye to eye, those two.

[Janet]

Absolutely not. They're like, practically speaking, different languages.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, yeah. But they do make beautiful music together.

[Janet]

They sure do. The fury and the grief is killing each of them and they blame each other. It's just terrible.

[Pat Wright]

When I said this is more romance than a political for sure. That's exactly what's going on there.

[Janet]

Truly.

[Pat Wright]

Well, we're going to have a bit of an instrumental interlude here as we profoundly change scene. And we're going to meet Abenomet, who we are told is under house arrest. So he's not thrown in a deep, dark dungeon necessarily. But his freedom has been taken away from him. He's been demoted. And of course, what's top of mind for him?

[Janet]

Well, it has to be Zoraida, does it not?

[Pat Wright]

Yes, yes. Our Benimet are our heroic man who rescued the former King who impressed the king of the warring country that he was a man of honor. He's suffering under this usurper king, but all he can focus on is not the political. It's his beloved Zoraida.

[Janet]

His beloved Zoraida and the grief that this horrible King Al Muzir has put upon him.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, he's a tenor as well. This is the role that went to the contralto when the Original tenor in 1822 did not survive after the broken blood vessel from singing. And he here is sung by a tenor. And in fact, when you hear about people mounting this opera, which admittedly is not frequently, they are proud to say if they are able to cast a tenor in this role, they are doing the role the way Donizetti originally wanted it to be done.

[Janet]

Yes, the 1822 version.

[Pat Wright]

Let's listen to a little bit of the lament that we get from the beloved of Zoraida. This is Abenamit.

[Janet]

Sam.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, poor Abenomet. He's. He's in a bad place. He's so sad.

[Janet]

I mean, really, the only good thing I can say about it is that he's in his own house.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And there's more opera to come, so things might change.

[Janet]

Yes, yes. But he's sad. He wants Sorida. He doesn't have his freedom.

[Pat Wright]

At this point, his good buddy, his friend, his brother in arms, Almanzor, shows up, and Almanzor has something he wants to tell him.

[Janet]

So Almanzor, the friend of Abenomet, he is Team Zoraida, has come to Abenomet and said, you gotta go. You have to leave. Escape now. To save your life, they're gonna drag.

[Pat Wright]

You to the Alhambra where you will face the wrath of the new king.

[Janet]

That's right. And only by leaving now do you have a chance to save your life and have your woman.

[Pat Wright]

Zoraida, perhaps. Or he may not even be able to take Zoraida. That might actually appeal to him. But Abenimet, we know one thing about him for sure. He is a man of honor and he will not flee.

[Janet]

Correct.

[Pat Wright]

He sees a bright spot in this. Oh, they're going to take me to the palace. They're going to take me to the Alhambra. I'll get to see Zoraida again. Isn't that lovely?

[Janet]

What could happen to me in the palace? That might be good. Zoraida's there.

[Pat Wright]

And almonds are essentially, you know, metaphorically, just Shakespeare. Him like, buddy, they will kill you.

[Janet]

You gotta go.

[Pat Wright]

But he doesn't get the chance he does not get the chance because the henchman Ali, who is the henchman of the king, shows up to drag him off to the Alhambra to face the wrathful king. And he has to go with Ali. And he says a very honorable and noble farewell to his friend Almanzor. But Almanzur is a true friend. And he says, I'm going to watch over him. I'll do my best by this wonderful leader and my friend. And now a change of scene, a little bit of music. And we are at the palace, the Alhambra palace. And Al Muzr is talking to his henchman Ali. I picture the villain who's rubbing his hands together, conspiring. He says, I have a plan and it is sublime. My plan is going to work.

[Janet]

Everything's coming together.

[Pat Wright]

Exactly.

[Janet]

I'm gonna have Zoraida as my own. I'm gonna have Abeneht out of the picture. Everything's gonna be great.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And he's going to make an offer to Abenimet not to kill him. Hey, Abenomet. When he sees him brought in. I have a proposal for you. You are in fact a beloved hero of the country. Thank you for your service. I have a position I'd like to offer you.

[Janet]

How would you like a job, Abenomet? Surely nothing could go wrong with this, right? This is going to be a very, very above board offer. Al Muzir is going to offer Abenomet an ambassadorship. Where? In Africa. That gets him out of Spain. It gets him away from Zoraida. Go to Africa. Get out of my hair, man. You're cramping my style.

[Pat Wright]

It's fascinating. You know, I keep wanting to think of him as this bloodthirsty man. After all, he did kill the king before him. But without Benimit, he doesn't kill. Just get across the water, get away where you can't see her, she can't see you.

[Janet]

Out of sight, out of mind.

[Pat Wright]

And tell Zoraida that you have given up on her. That's one of the conditions here though. You have to tell Zoraida that you've given up any claim on her heart and she is free to love me.

[Janet]

That's right. If he doesn't do that, Zoraida will hold out hope.

[Pat Wright]

Yes.

[Janet]

And Al Nusir knows he can't kill Abenomet. That would turn Zoraida against him. And forever things are touch and go as they are.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, but we know how Abenimet's gonna respond to this proposal.

[Janet]

We do. He's a man of honor. He can't abandon Zorayda under any circumstances. I don't want your lousy job.

[Pat Wright]

No. And that's when Al Muzir snaps again. His anger gets the better of him and says, well fine, let him be put to death. But ek external events are going to make themselves heard. We hear the voices of the chorus off stage singing to arms, to arms. And immediately after saying, to arms. Which means, you know, they have to all gather their munitions because they're being invaded. The populace also says, let a Benimit lead us, he is our leader. We need a Benimit. Tough situation.

[Janet]

Al Muzair can't make a martyr out of a Benomet. With the populace being on his side with Zoraida loving him, he has to find another way.

[Pat Wright]

And we've got the populace saying we've got to defend ourselves, otherwise the Spanish are going to overrun us. And Ali, even that faithful servant, he says, sir, the Spaniards, they're on us. We have to defend ourselves. And he explains, every man, woman and child in the street is saying we need Abenamit. In fact, the army refuses to fight. He tells the King, unless Abenomet is leading the army. Well, that's quite a threat.

[Janet]

It leaves Al Muzir no choice.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, it really does. But we are getting not quite to the end of this act, but we're ratcheting up the tension and we're getting more and more people on stage, all of these voices and Ali is wondering what the leader is going to do. What is the king going to do? Abenimet and Zoraida are wondering what's going to become of them and their love. And Al Mir hatches another brilliant plan, another wonderful plan in his head and in the midst of all of these people singing at once, you be forgiven for missing this when you watch it. I needed a libretto to make sure I got it straight. But here at Opera for Everyone, we're here to help you. Al Muzr essentially turns to Ali and says, you know what to do here, you're going to take care of this. Wink, wink. And Al Muzr then turns to Albenomet and asks for his help as leader of the army.

[Janet]

So Al Musir takes the fact that everyone wants Abenomet to lead the army against the Spaniards who are, as we sing, advancing. And he asks Abenomet to lead the army and to take this flag. And what's he doing with the flag? Bring the flag back to me and you will have won and I will set you free and you can have Zoraida, I will set you and Zoraida free.

[Pat Wright]

This flag is. It's a standard, which means a battle flag. So it is the representation, this standard, this symbol of the army. So if it comes back safe, I know that you have truly been honorable and victorious. And he really does play on Abenamint's sense of patriotism, his sense of right and wrong, his sense of honor especially. Absolutely. I mean, he wants to defend all of these people clamoring to him for his help. They're not going to be happy if they're conquered by the attacking enemy. And Abenamn says, sure, fine, good, whatever. This is my job. This is what I do. I'm a general. I will lead the army. I will take care of the standard. I will bring it back with me. I will defeat our enemies. We're good. But meanwhile, we're a little uneasy with this little wink, wink, nod, nod between Al Muzr the king and his henchmen Ali. But that's not what Abenament's thinking about. He's thinking about, I got this thing. I. I'm a great general. I can do this. I'll bring the flag back. And Al Muzr says, listen, I just want to make sure you understand, if you don't, it's penalty of death for you. Fine, fine. No problem. We have threaded this needle. We see a way clear to our goal. I can win, Zorayda, because you've promised me that if I come back victorious with this battle standard I got with.

[Janet]

The people on my side, I cannot lose. This is a done deal. I will bring the standard back. I'm your man.

[Pat Wright]

Yes. And this is a very rich, musically very rich piece of the opera with lots and lots of different voices. But I want to play for you all just a little bit of a quartet that really captured my imagination. We've got a Benimet ready to go into battle. We've got Zoraida cheering him on because she knows that he can do this. We've got Al Muzr saying, this guy doesn't know what he's in for. I've got plans that I haven't shared and it's not going to work out for him. And Ali is simply echoing what Al Nazir is saying.

[Janet]

He is simply echoing. I'm not sure how confident Ali is in the secret plans that are afoot. Jama.

[Pat Wright]

You'Re listening to Opera for Everyone, a radio show and podcast that makes opera understandable, accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Opera for Everyone airs Sundays from 9 to 11. AM Mountain Time on 89.1 K Khol, Wyoming's only community radio station. If you'd like to hear more conversations about opera, please subscribe to the Opera for Everyone podcast. And if you subscribe, rate and review us, you'll be helping with our mission to bring opera to everyone by helping others to find this show. Stay with us. The second half of today's show is coming right up. Welcome back to the second half of Opera for Everyone. I'm your host, Pat Wright, and I'm here today with Janet. Janet, welcome back.

[Janet]

Thank you. Nice to be here. What a lovely opera we have to discuss today.

[Pat Wright]

Isn't that true? It's so beautiful. We're so lucky. It's bel canto.

[Janet]

It is bel canto, which means beautiful singing or beautiful song. You'll notice in bel canto operas, sometimes they're saying the most horrible, depressing things, but they're saying it in such a beautiful way.

[Pat Wright]

It's so true.

[Janet]

And of course, our three bel canto primary bel canto masters are Rossini, Bellini, and our guy today, Donizetti.

[Pat Wright]

Donizetti. And you know, he wrote 70 operas.

[Janet]

Goodness, that many. And he started so young. I think this is what you can do when you don't watch television and have an iPhone in your hand.

[Pat Wright]

Well, I'm not sure we can completely blame those things.

[Janet]

Probably not. Yeah. I'm sure he had some natural genius.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, there was, there was that he had good training and good support and he, he just cranked him out. But yes, and bel canto is a musical style that's most popular in the early part of the 19th century, much of it during this Romantic period, the period of literature we would call the Romantic era. And we get a sense of that in some of what's being presented here. Story wise. We mentioned it a little bit earlier about the exoticism, but we'll talk about it more with one particular piece of music coming up.

[Janet]

Yes, there are some crazy romantic passages in this opera. They're definitely very hyper romantic. These people are in love and also they want to get away from certain people. Like, it's just very, very difficult themes and very lovely themes as well.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Well, before we carry on any further, I'd like to take a moment to thank the people involved in creating the CD that we've been listening to. It's a CD put out by Opera Rara. And this was recorded in 1998 in London under the leadership of conductor David Parry with the Academy of St Martin's in the Fields and the Jeffrey Mitchell Choir, led by Jeffrey Mitchell, chorus master.

[Janet]

And our singers on this recording are Bruce Ford in the role of Al Musir, the king of Granada. He's in the team Al Musir, along with him is his buddy Ali, being sung by Matthew Hargreaves. And that is the extent of Team Alm.

[Pat Wright]

Just for the named characters, anyway.

[Janet]

For the named characters, sure. On Team Zoraida, we have Zoraida being sung by Magella Kala, soprano. And we have her beloved Aben Ahmet and dire enemy of Al Muzr Abenomet, being sung by Paul Austin Kelly. And then we have Al Mansour, who is a great friend and supporter of Abenomet. He is being sung by Dominic Natoli. And then we have Ines, a Spanish slave friend of Zoraida. She's being sung by Cristina Pastorello.

[Pat Wright]

Thank you, one and all, for this bel canto. Beautiful music. What a treat.

[Janet]

So lovely.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. It's really fun to discover a new piece by a beloved composer like Donizetti. So many of us are familiar with Lucia Delamaour and the Elixir of Love and Daughter of the Regiment. And these are all wonderful operas, but like I said, he wrote 70 operas, so it's good to get to know a couple more if we can. So maybe there'll be more Donazetti in our future, too. More unfamiliar Donizetti.

[Janet]

Oh, is that a spoiler?

[Pat Wright]

No definite plans. No definite plans. All right, now it's time for the one, the only, Opera Helmet quiz. This is your first time here on Opera for Everyone, and you get the honor because I'm thrilled to have you here and I know you can do it.

[Janet]

Wonderful. Well, thank you, Pat. I have been dreading and looking forward to this moment simultaneously. Okay, excellent. So thus far, we started the show at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, in the end of the 15th century, about 1480. The Moors are kind of giving their last gasp in their fight against the Spaniards, the Spanish. So they're surrounded in Granada. They're surrounded by the Spanish. And we open the opera after a prelude. Our first singing piece is of the populace. They're. They're lamenting the state of their city and their country and. And how exhausted they are of war, how they wish they could have their beautiful country back. And this is just. This is just terrible for everyone and everything, and it's horrible, but it is bel canto, so it is one of the most beautiful pieces of music you'll hear. Then we hear from Al Muzir. He's the king of Granada. He has deposed the prior king and just sort of to put the. Put the cherry on top, he wants to marry Zoraida. And Zorayda is in love with Abenehmet, who's a military hero. They are deeply in love. They're betrothed and that must not be torn asunder. It's as good as a marriage. But Al Muzr is very, very determined to have her hand by any means possible. He offers Abenomet an ambassadorship in Africa with the condition that he renounce his love for Zorayda, release her so that Al Nusir can have Zorayda for himself. Abenomet is a man who is deeply honorable and he will not do that because it is not true. He cannot renounce his love for Zoraida. It is all encompassing. So Al Nusir has to scrap that plan and he goes another route. And he says, how about if you take our standard, this sacred piece of cloth. The standard, it's like a flag, but it's bigger and better than that on a battle. And when you return with the cloth intact, with the standard intact, I will give up my quest for Zoraida's hand and you can have her. She can be yours. You can live happily ever after. And Abenomet says, I'm your guy. I will absolutely do that. I will be victorious. I will get my girl.

[Pat Wright]

He has not just honor but also self confidence.

[Janet]

He's got a lot of self confidence. He went into this with no doubts whatsoever. Zoraida, on the other hand, is fearful for him. We also notice a small detail wherein Al Muzir whispers something to his friend Ali. We don't know what it is, but we suspect it could mean trouble for the future of our betrothed couple.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Zoraida has a reason to be nervous about this whole thing.

[Janet]

She does. She knows this guy. But this quest is going to happen because Abenomet and Zoraida each preferred death to not being with each other. So there's no other choice than for Abenomet to go on this quest. And I think that's where we left it, is it not?

[Pat Wright]

Yes, that's exactly where we left it. And we had all three people singing about their own concerns. And Al Muzr is sure that he's going to win because he's got this secret devious plan.

[Janet]

He goes, ha ha ha. I got you. I got you guys.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And Zoraida is just hoping for her beloved's safe return and victory. And Abenomet knows that he just has to be this great soldier that he knows he can be, and he will be reunited with his true love. Because, after all, that's what the king has told him.

[Janet]

That's right.

[Pat Wright]

And for somebody who. Who has great honor, it's hard to imagine other people not being equally honorable.

[Janet]

Especially a king.

[Pat Wright]

Especially a king.

[Janet]

Yeah. So at the conclusion of that beautiful singing with Al Musir, Benomet Ali and Zoraida, we are left with Ines. Ines has a beautiful aria to sing.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah.

[Janet]

She's in a unique position among our players, isn't she? She's Spanish, she's a slave, she's held by the Moors, and yet she is good friends with Zoraida, and she cares for her as a friend. So we have this situation where the Spanish and the Moors are in a war. Ines is Spanish. So if the Spanish win, this does not bode well for Zoraida and for her continued relationship with Zoraida. I think. I think it could be very unfortunate for Zoraida if the Spanish win. However, if the Moors win, if Al Nusir and his cronies win the war, this does not bode well for Ines and her homeland and her people. So this is just a really tragic, difficult position for Ines.

[Pat Wright]

So I realize this opera comes later, but did this make you think at all of Aida?

[Janet]

It did.

[Pat Wright]

When she doesn't know what to hope for when she's a slave and the enemy is.

[Janet]

It did. She wanted Radames to win, but for Radames to win, it means her homeland is defeated. Yeah.

[Pat Wright]

Of course, as I said earlier, Inez is not as fully developed a character as some of the other characters are here. She doesn't have her own relationships shown on stage other than her love for Zoraida, but for her, that's enough here to feel very, very torn. And we'll hear an excerpt of this one piece that she sings. The Tyranny of Destiny. It has no thunderbolts left. This is very poetic stuff. She says, my soul no longer knows what it even wants. I don't know who I want to win. It's tortuous to me, this situation, because I'm close enough to see what's going on, and it's just tearing her apart.

[Janet]

Yeah. She doesn't have anyone to root for. She's basically paralyzed, I think, in her. In her hopes.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, poor Ines. She is really suffering. And time sort of slows down when a character sings an aria exploring their feelings. Well, buckle up, everyone, because time is about to speed up the battle. The battle is not depicted on stage. But we hear Inez talking to Almanzor, and in pretty short order we're going to get the soldiers coming back on stage, we're going to see Zoraida, and ultimately we will see Abenomet as well. Turns out the fighting took place off stage. It was a serious battle. But of course, our confident, heroic, handsome, honorable General Abenamit was victorious.

[Janet]

I'm swooning, Pat.

[Pat Wright]

That's what he lives for. Yeah. So they are thrilled. They have won, they have beaten back the attack on their city. And Abenamit and Zoraida are thrilled beyond words because the King has promised them he's victorious in battle. He will get to have her. Everyone's happy, the populace is happy. They've been defended, they have their hero. And even Al Mzr says, my wish has been fulfilled and the Spaniard shall tremble. Now, why do I say it that way? Because he's so unhappy. He would have loved that a Benjamin were killed in battle. That would be so tidy for him. But he did plot with Ali.

[Janet]

Yes, he is duplicitous. He has that get out of jail free card in his pocket. He made a deal with Ali and he's got something brewing there. We wonder what it is.

[Pat Wright]

It's just, it's. It's a lot. And this scene will catapult its way forward to the end of Act 1 in one of these big finishes where everybody's singing, everybody's sharing what's on their mind, and they're all having different feelings about it that we've really just reviewed that Zoraida, Inez, Abenomet, Almanzor, Team Zoraida, as you call them, they're all really upset now. Why are they upset? They've just won.

[Janet]

Yeah, they're upset because they've just been told that the Standard is flying in an enemy camp. Ali tells them this. How could that have happened?

[Pat Wright]

And Abediment says, what? I gave the Standard. I gave that battle flag to my men.

[Janet]

I gave to my guys. They're going to be here in a minute with it.

[Pat Wright]

Ali says, no, you're wrong. The Spanish are flying it. They are claiming victory because they've captured your standard. Al Muzir says, oh, tough deal, buddy. That means I get to kill you. It's so awful. And the chorus is part of this big scene on stage and they are more or less in shock. We were rejoicing our military victory, but this is a terrible black cloud hanging over us. What bad fortune for our victorious general.

[Janet]

Yeah. If this were a shape they would. It would be a steep downward shape from the high of. Yay. We won. We brought the standard back. I get to marry Zoraida to Everything is lost. Zoraida's lost. Abenomet's gonna lose his life. Al Nusir has won. It's just terr.

[Pat Wright]

Big finish to act one. Wow. How are we going to get out of all of this trouble?

[Janet]

I don't know. I'm not sure that we are. I don't have a lot of hope.

[Pat Wright]

For these folks acknowledging we've all just stretched our legs during intermission. There is a about as big a contrast as you were going to get in the mood of what's being performed as happens between the end of act one, which is everyone, full orchestration, big finish and act two. It doesn't even start with an interlude piece of music or a song or a choral piece. It starts. Starts Act 2 with recitative, which is an interesting way for it to start. We have our friends of our main characters, Almanzor, who is Abenemet's dear friend, and Inez, both, as you say, on Team Zoraida. And they are trying to figure out what's going on. And also they talk about this plan that Zoraida has come up with to solve things, at least in terms of her love for Abenamn. Inez is holding a royal gem that she passes to Almanzor, which has a special significance.

[Janet]

Where did she get that gem? The gem signifies to the captors keeping guard over Abenomet that they must set him free, that they must do what they're told by the holder of the gem.

[Pat Wright]

Inez explains exactly how she got the gem. She tells Almanzur that she agreed to become the bride of the tyrant of King Al Muzr. She says, he gave it to me because I promised to give up Abenomet, to give up my claim on him and to become his bride. And in return for that, he said Abenomet would be freed. And that's why I'm giving you this gem so that you can show the jailers they'll know that it belongs to the king and they'll do what you say.

[Janet]

So Ines is relaying all this to Amansur?

[Pat Wright]

Yes, yes, yes. And it's fascinating because like I say, this all happens in recitative, in the beginning. And then it feels like Act 2 is really starting. There's an instrumental interlude and this has happened, but we really get the focus of action on stage with Abenamit and he's no longer under relatively nice house Arrest.

[Janet]

No, he's in a dungeon.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, it's not good. He's in chains. He's in a dungeon. And we've heard some lamentation already, but there is some serious lamentation going on on his part.

[Janet]

Yeah, the lamentation goes deep in this.

[Pat Wright]

He's distraught with what has happened, but he takes comfort in one thing.

[Janet]

He takes comfort in Zoraida's faithfulness to him.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And he goes on at length.

[Janet]

At length.

[Pat Wright]

And you're just going, oh, no, we just heard otherwise between the two friends.

[Janet]

Yeah. At one point he even says, she submits to fate and wife to that tyrant. No, it is not possible. She is too faithful for that. You can hear him wondering, doubting himself.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And he consoles himself that the only way his suffering is going to end is with his death. Well, once all this transpires, Almanzor, of course, shows up at his friend's imprisonment and says, we have a way to free you, my friend. We have a way to free you. Benimit is confused. What could have happened? What's changed? What's new? Says, don't ask too many questions. You don't want to know the answers.

[Janet]

Ask it not. He says, why not speak? What price did she pay?

[Pat Wright]

The heavy price of her hand. Oh no.

[Janet]

A crushing blow for Abenomet.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Following on the heels of him talking about how unshakably faithful she was. And it's interesting, we won't go into this now because they will go into it later when they're head to head Abenamit and Zoraida. But clearly they see the issue of her faithfulness in different ways, very different ways.

[Janet]

This is not an unfamiliar theme in opera.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Or, you know, sometimes just the general misunderstandings between men and women. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So he's, he's furious. He's being freed from prison by his friend and he's furious at Zorayda. But his friend Almanzorg just wants him to say, listen, this is the situation, my friend. Take advantage of it. Run, flee. But what does our man of honor think of that?

[Janet]

He says, absolutely not. Under no circumstances am I going to flee. Exile is not an option.

[Pat Wright]

No, I have to confront Zorayda. He says, I'll kill myself at her feet and then she'll feel really bad. Yeah, but they do leave. They do leave this dungeon. And in our next scene, we have Zoraida. And we know what Zoraida's done. We haven't seen her yet, this act. We're seeing her now, but we know what she's done in the meantime. And we haven't been watching her.

[Janet]

We have not been watching her, but we know that she is suffering the knowledge of having to have capitulated to marry Al Musir. And it is so dreadful. She says an abhorrent knot awaits me meanwhile, and I shall lose the freedom of tears. So she's dreading having to be with Al Muzir. She won't even be able to cry, which is at this point, her only release.

[Pat Wright]

Right. That abhorrent knot being the marriage to the king.

[Janet]

Just terrible. Yeah.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. That she's not even free to cry. But she's. She sacrificed all of this out of her love for Abenomet.

[Janet]

Yeah. That was the only way to save his life.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And here we get to a really exquisite piece in the opera. She builds up to this. This Romanza that she's going to sing about being in a grove. So it's one of these devices that the Romantics used, being in nature reverie, this reflecting on your feelings with the benefit of nature. And it's a little bit of the external also reflecting what's going on internally. She is in this grove. She even talks to a rose bush. This is part of how she's expressing her pain, her situation. And she tells these plants, I gave my word and my dear lover, he swore his love to me. And she's taking comfort in the fact that she did everything she could do to help him out of her love for him. But she's supremely sad because she's essentially sacrificed herself to save him and sacrificed any chance of them being together.

[Janet]

She sacrificed everything. Her youth, her happiness, her love, potentially her body. And she's seeing that all in the roses. The roses to her eyes are now faded and wilted. Who knows if they are? This is how she sees them, as probably much as she sees herself. Only her tears are left to water these roses. Roses Sa sa Lord.

[Pat Wright]

Poor, poor Zoraida. Trying to do the right thing, trying to help her love. This piece in the opera was one of the most beloved pieces of this 1822 version with librettist Bartolomeo Merelli. I think I mentioned Morelli earlier as the librettist, but just a comment or so about Morelli's place in the history of opera. He was in fact, a librettist early on and did some very nice work, like he did here, although Donizetti did have a tendency to complain about his librettists, as so many composers did. But he in fact went to the same school that Donizetti went to. In Bergamo. He's from Bergamo as well. He went to Simone Mer's school in Bergamo and didn't end up becoming a librettist for his entire career, as some librettists do. He was the impresario of La Scala for a significant period of time. He worked in part or entirely at la Scala between 1829 and 1850. He's a man who lived to be 84 years old. And some. Some people may remember, the story about this is just one of the things where, like I said, I know that name when I heard Morelli, and then I remembered, he's the guy who, when Verdi, early in his career, was at this very low point because his wife had died, his infant children had died, and one of the operas that La Scala that he had been contracted to create had bombed. It's the only way to put it. It was a terrible failure and he was just ready to hang it all up. I'm just. I'm done. I'm not going to do it anymore. Doesn't matter. I don't have a family. And he was at a very low point. And Mirelli is the man who shoved that libretto for Nabucco into his hands. And that wonderful story about how he throws it on the bed in his desperation and sadness, and it opens to the page of Va Pensiero, that great, great choral piece for Nabucco and really relaunched Verdi on his career, or shall we say, launched the modern Verdi that we know propped him back up. Yeah, that's another piece of who Morelli was. So I did want to mention that in case some people were going, wait, Bartolomo Marelli? That sounds familiar. Well, that's why. Among other things. But that is one of the reasons why.

[Janet]

Wonderful tidbit. Thank you for sharing that.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Well, as long as we've stepped out of the narrative for a moment, I'm going to call back to something I said I would get to. Speaking of great successes, this opera we said was. And we mentioned that after the third performance, Donizetti, along with Donzelli, the tenor who played the part of the King, Al Muzier, were taken along in a carriage along with all these supporters cheering a military band. There was a feast and they were just feted in the extreme, which is why Donizetti was so happy. Well, the third day wasn't random. One of the practices during this bel canto period had to do with the way that the composers were contracted to create new operas, usually for the carnival season, and they would contract just Details that you would find astounding working on their own, usually even without agents, particularly for the younger or newer on the scene composers. Well, for example, Donizetti here is the one who suggested and secured the services of Mirelli to be the librettist for this show. But one of the things that was pretty common, not just for Donize, but for most composers in this period of time in Italy, is that part of the contract said they agreed to not just write the music for this opera and fit it together with the libretto, but also that they would be present for rehearsals and additionally for the first three performances. That is what they were contractually obligated to do. And so after that, the opera became the property of their impresario of the theater, and they moved on, which is why some of the bel canto pieces, you'll hear us say. Oh, yeah, a little bit of this music appeared in this other opera, and that's part of what went on, because they still had that music with them a little bit. But the contracting details are very interesting. But that third day, it's not accidental. It's because that's the day they knew that Donizetti no longer had to be around. That was going to be his last day. There was that.

[Janet]

I wonder what that was. Was it so they could help smooth out any, I don't know, musical gaffes, or was it a box office draw? Could it have been a box office draw?

[Pat Wright]

Well, it would depend on the stature of the composer, I imagine.

[Janet]

Okay.

[Pat Wright]

I think mostly it starts out particularly with an unknown composer, relative unknown, like Donizetti was at this point.

[Janet]

Yes. This was his first successful opera. Nobody knew who he was.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. So it wasn't for box office. It was for making sure it all went properly and if there were problems, he could fix it. But. And by the third performance, they knew. Anyway, I said I would get back to the third day, and there you have it. Okay. Poor dear Zoraida. We know how she's feeling. She's had her moment alone on stage, and then she is joined by her true love. But it's not the happiest of reunions.

[Janet]

No, it's not. He's been spying her. He's in costume so nobody recognizes him.

[Pat Wright]

A disguise.

[Janet]

A disguise. Right. The. The different shirt, and suddenly he's unknown to everyone who knows him. Yeah. So they've reunited, and he's, of course, as you could predict, accusing her of being unfaithful and betraying him by marrying Al Musir. He says, but do you not belong to another to which she replies, but do you not live because of me?

[Pat Wright]

I mean, that's it in a nutshell, isn't it? They're angry at each other. She's angry at him for blaming her. I kept you alive, sweetheart. And he can only think of the betrayal that he sees in her actions, that she's promised to marry the king. She said, I had no other way to save you. It was the only way to spare your life. And he keeps saying, but I'd rather be dead. We know he's planning to kill himself and leave him body dying at her feet.

[Janet]

I mean, it's just he returns the gift. At one point, he says, then I return the gift and die at your feet. Don't do me any favors, hon.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, I know, but he still wants.

[Janet]

To know if she loves him.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, he does.

[Janet]

He does still want to know that.

[Pat Wright]

And you can see that she does. But she has vowed to become the wife of the king.

[Janet]

And she is a woman of honor if he is a man of honor. These are honorable people, right?

[Pat Wright]

So he puts it to her, okay, if you love me, escape. I'm free right now. We can sneak out.

[Janet]

Let's go.

[Pat Wright]

And she says, but I'm pledged to him. Honor prevents me from doing that. Which is just mind blowing. I mean, first of all, it's mind blowing from a modern sensibility, much of this is. But it's mind blowing to him as well. He's like, no, I'm the guy where the honor is part of my character, not you.

[Janet]

Right, Right. You can't be more honorable than me. Stop that.

[Pat Wright]

She says, my honor says I must keep my word. But my duty, because I love you, was to save your life. And I'm trying to balance those things.

[Janet]

I think they're in as impossible a position as Ines is. I mean, everyone's just in an impossible position.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And she just keeps saying, live. It is my wish that you live. And he's saying, I need to die. So it's a fascinating moment where she's telling him to live, he's saying, I need to die. And ultimately she's going to crack, maybe. Or she's going to at least relent and say, okay, it's true. You're right.

[Janet]

I love you.

[Pat Wright]

I love you.

[Janet]

Yeah.

[Pat Wright]

And you can hear the change. She says, I love you. I love you.

[Janet]

But one thing we haven't mentioned is that they are not alone. They are being observed from afar by Ali.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, the court. There's always someone watching you at court, isn't there?

[Janet]

Yeah. Yeah, there's no privacy. There's no privacy. But they have just declared their love to one another. And not only Ali is there, Al Musir is also there.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. Tiptoeing his way, Al Nasir makes his way onto the scene.

[Janet]

He's catching them in the act. You're promised to me, but you just told Abenomet you love him.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, and it gets pretty heavy here.

[Janet]

It sure does.

[Pat Wright]

Because of course, Abenomet has brought with him a dagger to kill himself at the feet of his beloved to return.

[Janet]

The gift of his life.

[Pat Wright]

Oh, goodness. And then she ends up grabbing the dagger at one point and threatens to kill herself because these two men are fighting. And Al Mzr is planning to make sure that Abenamit is killed. And Abenamit's like, yeah, sure, I was planning on dying anyway. No big deal.

[Janet]

Zorayda's not having any of it.

[Pat Wright]

And Zoraida just keeps saying, go, go. You be quiet, Al Muzr. Abenemit, you fly.

[Janet]

Exactly.

[Pat Wright]

You leave. Leave me to the hands of fate. I already reconciled myself to sacrificing my life. And Amazur's like, sure, you can run, but I'll find you. I'll get you. And it culminates in this amazing trio where they're all singing at once. And so many feelings at such high levels of emotion.

[Janet]

Ra Satan Sa.

[Pat Wright]

Almazir is focusing on Zorayda. He has heard her say to Abenimet that she loves him and she wants him to flee. And Abenomet does flee, although the king is not worried. The king says, I'll track you down. I'll find you right now. I demand justice from this woman. And we're going to open the next scene with the guards of the kingdom talking about how terrible it is that this woman has been found unfaithful. And this beautiful, beautiful queen to be will probably be condemned to death. She broke her vow, and so she has to die right here. And later on, speaking of things that remind me of other shows and other stories, I am so reminded of Queen Guinevere here. Now, of course, Guinevere was married to Arthur. But when you are to be the wife of the king, any straying with another lover, another man, that's treason. That's punishable by death.

[Janet]

You can't even be alone. No, you can't even be in the same house with another man without being suspect.

[Pat Wright]

There will be another echo. Okay, no spoilers. In opera, there'll be another echo of that story. As far as I'm concerned. Because it's a very old story. It's not just a. A musical that showed on Broadway. It's a story that predates this. Don't know if they meant it intentionally, but there may be a champion who rides in to save her, just as Lancelot does with Guinevere. There may be a knight. All right, so the populace is feeling sympathy for her, but law's the law.

[Janet]

Al Musir is going to give her over to Ali and say, you'll be judged.

[Pat Wright]

Right. Al Muzr only makes his presence known at the end, but Ali makes it very clear that he heard them the entire way through. And Al Mzir says, you go to the Council of Elders, you present the evidence, they will be the judges. So it is a legal proceeding that she is going to be subjected to. Although everybody knows what the King expects them to do. Yeah. And she just keeps saying, I am innocent. And that only throws Al Mirzir into greater rage.

[Janet]

Yeah, it's great. He's completely consumed with rage. He can barely even. He can't do anything but feed his rage.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah.

[Janet]

So Al Muzir has just handed over Zorayda to Ali to be brought in front of the Council of Elders and to be judged fairly in air quotes. And we are left with Al Muzr and his very stirring aria in which he laments and complains and whines about how beautiful Zoraida is and how sad it is that she has to die and how hard it will be to witness her death and how he still loves her so. But this is the way of things. It's such cruel torment.

[Pat Wright]

He concludes, love must be silent. It is revenge that will speak. So it's these two conflicting emotions that he's exploring in this aria and even preceding this aria. But he concludes, revenge is going to have dominance.

[Janet]

Yeah, that's really what he wants.

[Pat Wright]

He's not alone on stage, though. Yeah.

[Janet]

The courtiers are there and they are encouraging him to do what must be done and puts her, Ida, to death. Encouraging him that she's surely guilty and she's got to go.

[Pat Wright]

She deserves no pity. They assure him that his emotions towards revenge are the proper ones.

[Janet]

Yeah, they're very validating. They're definitely team Al Musir. He feels good in his choices.

[Pat Wright]

They want to stay in good with the King. Of course they are.

[Janet]

Yeah, they do.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. It's intense because we are going to have our next scene be in the great square of Granada and the elders, they have spoken. We will soon learn. And there's basically a pyre set up, because women this time period, if they were going to be executed, more often than not, they would be executed by burning. And that's exactly what the plan is. Here she is getting ready to be burned at the stake. And now it's not just the courtiers. We have the populace, who tend to be more sympathetic to our characters. And they are mourning, they are sad.

[Janet]

This is just more of the same for them, just more death and destruction. And they're very sad for Zoraida and for the condition that she finds herself in.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And here, Ali, this henchman, this second in command or toady or whatever we want to call him to the king, our named character, who is really trying to carry out the King's wishes. Although we didn't mention this earlier, there is a piece in recitative where he talks about hoping that he can get the upper hand. A duplicitous king is going to have a duplicitous second in command and he has his eye on the kingship as well. That doesn't go very far in this actual story, but Ali here is saying, yep, the Council of Elders, they listen to my testimony. And fascinatingly, in this opera, which is a proper opera, Seria, when he reads the verdict from the elders, it's spoken, it is not sung. It's fascinating that in an opera, sometimes deployed well, and it is here, the spoken word can be so powerful. He reads a sentence. Zoraida is guilty. The wicked woman was seen alone with Habenimit. She has betrayed the king. And she simply replies when asked for her response, I am innocent. And Ali pronounces the sentence on behalf of the Council of Elders. Trial by combat. And if no one appears to fight for her, she will simply be burned.

[Janet]

At 4, the hour of her death is stated.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And so, as her accuser, as the man who provided the evidence against her, Ali will be the one prepared if anyone should.

[Janet]

Anyone can come forward to fight for Zoraida's life. Anyone can do that.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. I mean, it's an interesting system of justice, honestly. It is, but that's what it is. And no one is stepping forward. And Zoraida is left to lament again. And she has a beautiful moment where she is asking for mercy, the mercy of heaven, to understand her innocence and to protect her soul. And this is a one of the most beautiful, poignant and simple pieces in the opera. It's very lightly accompanied, it's very quiet as she's contemplating her imminent death. But that quiet contemplation comes to an end. When the clock strikes four and the funeral of pyre is about to be lit.

[Janet]

Yeah. A sound is heard in the distance.

[Pat Wright]

Who could it be?

[Janet]

I don't know. Some trumpets I think. Trumpets in this era probably mean a fighter is coming.

[Pat Wright]

Well, he is fully disguised. Here he is.

[Janet]

He's disguised in Moorish garb actually, so that he blends in with the populace. He doesn't look like a like soldier.

[Pat Wright]

But Zoraida recognizes his voice. When he says I am the defender of innocence.

[Janet]

She says, what voice is that?

[Pat Wright]

Abenamit. When he proclaims himself the defender of innocence, he approaches Ali who is standing there ready to fight anyone who wants to fight for her. And at a contest between Ali and Abenomet. I know where I'm putting my money.

[Janet]

I know where I'm putting my money too. We're gonna win big. Because Ali has no honor. Abenemet has all the honor. He has everything to gain. He is prepared. Ali just doesn't stand a chance. And it is over pretty quickly.

[Pat Wright]

It's over very quickly. Although he is not slain.

[Janet]

He's not? No, because Abenomet has too much honor. Why spill the blood when I can just win?

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, but what does he need from Ali to win? Win, win, win.

[Janet]

He needs Ali to tell him what Al Musir whispered in his ear before Abenomet went off with the standard in the battle. Which was give the standard to our enemies. I assume something like that. We're going to be duplicitous. Make sure Abenomet does not have the standard at the end of this.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah, he confesses to that. And he confesses to false testimony about what Zoraida and Abenomet were doing in the grove.

[Janet]

Yep. He says Zoraida and Abenomet are innocent and there was no evil in their conversation.

[Pat Wright]

So he's confessed to the things that have gotten them both into this deep trouble. And if this were a modern show, we might expect a different conclusion. But it's a bel canto show and it's going to conclude with things being set right.

[Janet]

Yeah, it's. It's really kind of strange. This could have had a really upsetting ending.

[Pat Wright]

Yes, and it did have a very upsetting ending in the novel. In the original source material. In the original source material, when a Venomint is confronted in the grove, he is captured and his head is taken off. He is killed.

[Janet]

Oh my goodness.

[Pat Wright]

And then it carries on and Zoraida is sentenced to die by flame. Unless a champion came to rescue her. And I believe it was four champions show up dressed as Turks, they say in the novel.

[Janet]

Just so we're clear, this is the novel ending that you're describing.

[Pat Wright]

Yes. To a modern sensibility, it seems as though this makes more sense. Abenamit is dispatched quickly. She is sentenced to death. But essentially the cavalry rides in. There are four knights who come in dressed in Turkish garb. Turns out that they're actually Spaniards, Christian Spanish knights who come and rescue her. And she then goes and lives out her days with some members of a Benimitz family. Oh, that's how the novel ends. But not so in our opera.

[Janet]

That's not very neat and tidy, is it?

[Pat Wright]

Well, that's how the story ends. And I'll tell you what, the story was popular and it inspired a lot of other art. In our opera here, though, we have a Benimit in disguise coming in, fights Ali, Ali confesses. And Al Muzr has a very interesting reaction to all of this.

[Janet]

Al Muzr, he's overcome with shame and remorse. He regrets his choices. I find that somewhat implausible, but that's how Donizetti went with this.

[Pat Wright]

Not only has Ali confessed to the duplicity of the king, saying, oh, yeah, give our enemy the standard so that it looks like we have lost to the Spaniards. Abenomet, this man of honor, says, no, he is the king. We have to respect him as the king. Let him live, let him reign, and I will be the first in his army to defend him. Well, my head's exploding on that.

[Janet]

But that's just madness. That's just madness. I'm a modern person. I find that very. But that's a dynamic that is a Benomet. Yes.

[Pat Wright]

And that is part of this time periods putting things right. The authority of kingship is respected. I mean, after all, all of these operas had to go through the censors. And you couldn't be tearing down kings too much anyway. That would get you in trouble. You'd never get your opera performed.

[Janet]

Al Nusir is so restored that he even gives Zorayda back to Abenomet.

[Pat Wright]

There we go, putting things right.

[Janet]

Yeah, the censors just really loved this. Yeah, the king's a good guy.

[Pat Wright]

Yeah. And it doesn't always mean, by the way, that the censors stepped in. People would write their works of art. They would write their operas knowing what the censors expected.

[Janet]

Sure.

[Pat Wright]

Though Donizetti, just as Rossini does, ends up leaving Italy and finishing the operatic career in France, where the censors don't quite act the same way. So, I mean, more liberal there. Yeah, there's a little too much to go into right now. However, our opera ends with Albenomet forcing a confession out of Ali, saying he will support the king. We're not going to talk about how he became King Al Muzir because. Yeah, but the king lives. The king is filled with shame and remorse. He is filled with gratitude to Albenomet for his honorable behavior. That too, his life, his behavior. And he restores Zoraida to Abenamit. And everybody ends saying that the storm has passed, our difficulties have passed, we don't have to tremble anymore. At last, a serene star glows and the sun is shining once more.

[Janet]

And end of Opera.

[Pat Wright]

Neat and tidy.

[Janet]

Yes, very neat and tidy. But what are those Spaniards doing? I want a part 2. What are the Spaniards doing? Like, we still have to deal with the fact that we're surrounded.

[Pat Wright]

That's gotta be a whole different story right here with our people of Granada. Yes. Well, Janet, I cannot thank you enough for joining me on Opera for Everyone. It has been a true delight talking about this opera and Donizetti and everything with you.

[Janet]

Pat, thank you so much for the invitation. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. Very happy time.

[Pat Wright]

All right, everyone, enjoy. Thanks for listening to this episode of Opera for Everyone. If you missed any of today's show, you can find this episode and many others on your favorite podcast app under Opera for Everyone. And while you're there, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps others to find us. Opera for Everyone airs every Sunday morning from 9 to 11 Mountain Time on 89.1 Khol Jackson, Wyoming. Opera can be challenging, but everyone loves a good story. And a story set to music is even better. Our mission is to make opera understandable, accessible and enjoyable because we believe opera is for everyone.