La battaglia di Legnano
also The Battle of Legnano
opera · tragedia lirica in quattro atti
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist Salvadore Cammarano
Synopsis
Milan is threatened by the army of Frederick Barbarossa, and the cities of the Lombard League swear to defend it. Arrigo, a young soldier from Verona given up for dead, rejoins the ranks and finds that Lida, the woman he loved, has married his friend Rolando, leader of the Milanese troops.
Key facts
- Premiere
- 27 January 1849, Teatro Argentina, Rome
- Acts
- 4
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Milan and Como, in 1176.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Federico Barbarossa German Emperor. | bass | Pietro Sottovia |
| Primo console di Milano First Consul of Milan. | bass | Alessandro Lanzoni |
| Secondo console di Milano Second Consul of Milan. | bass | Achille Testi |
| Il podestà di Como Mayor of Como. | bass | Filippo Giannini |
| Rolando A leading soldier of Milan. | baritone | Filippo Colini |
| Lida Rolando's wife. | soprano | Teresa De Giuli-Borsi |
| Arrigo A soldier from Verona. | tenor | Gaetano Fraschini |
| Marcovaldo A German prisoner. | baritone | Lodovico Butia |
| Imelda Lida's maidservant. | mezzo-soprano | Vincenza Marchesi |
| Scudiero di Arrigo Arrigo's squire. | tenor | Mariano Conti |
| Un araldo A herald. | tenor | Gaetano Ferri |
Source
- La bataille de Toulouse by Joseph Méry (1828)
Written from
- Budden, J. (1978) The operas of Verdi. Volume 1: From Oberto to Rigoletto. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 387-415.
- Wikipedia (2026) La battaglia di Legnano. (Accessed: 28 September 2026). The English article.
- Cammarano, S. (1849) La battaglia di Legnano: tragedia lirica in quattro atti. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Wikipedia (2026) La battaglia di Legnano. (Accessed: 28 September 2026). The Italian article.