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Gioachino Rossini

Eduardo e Cristina

Eduardo e Cristina () is an operatic dramma in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto originally written by Giovanni Schmidt for Odoardo e Cristina (1810), an opera by Stefano Pavesi,

Performance history#

The opera received productions elsewhere in Europe up to 1840, but after that they seem to have been very rare.

Synopsis#

:Place: Sweden :Time: “The distant past” Eduardo, commander of the Swedish army, brings news of peace and is greeted triumphantly by King Carlo in Stockholm. That same day, the king announces that his daughter, Cristina, is to be married to Prince Giacomo of Scotland. Cristina, however, is already secretly Eduardo’s wife, and together they have a young son, Gustavo. Christina makes plans to escape, but during the wedding preparations little Gustavo is discovered. Cristina proclaims herself his mother, though she will not reveal the father’s name. When Eduardo appears, he reveals himself to be the boy’s father, and the illicit couple are led off to prison. Cristina continues to refuse a proposal of marriage to Giacomo, even though he has agreed to recognize Gustavo as his own son. Eventually Eduardo is freed by his friend and comrade in arms, Captain Atlei, and together they defeat a surprise attack by the Russians. After the battle, Eduardo hands his sword to King Carlo who, touched, forgives the couple and grants them his blessing.

References#

Notes Cited sources *Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), “Eduardo e Cristina” in Holden, Amanda (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. *Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, London: Methuen; Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. Other sources * *Osborne, Richard (1990), Rossini, Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press. *Osborne, Richard (1998), “Eduardo e Cristina”, in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. Two, p. 20. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. ??

*Libretto in Italian Retrieved 13 December 2012

Composer
Gioachino Rossini