Zaira (opera)

Zaira (opera)

Zaira is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini set to a libretto by Felice Romani which was based on Voltaire's 1732 tragedy, Zaïre. The story takes place in the time of the Crusades and the opera's plot involves the heroine, Zaira, struggling between her Christian faith and her love for Orosmane, the Muslim Sultan of Jerusalem. It was Bellini's fifth opera, and it followed quickly after his February 1829 composition and premiere of La straniera at La Scala.

Zaira received its first performance at the "Nuovo Teatro Ducale" in Parma (now the Teatro Regio di Parma) on 16 May 1829. However, the opera, which had been expressly written for the theatre's inauguration, was a failure at its premiere. While Bellini's success had been swift, "it was the first serious setback of a hitherto brilliant career". One critic attributes the failure to Parma's traditional love of and favouritism towards Rossini's music, while another notes that a combination of the composer being constantly seen around the city (when it was assumed that he should have been working) and the fact that Romani had noted in the printed libretto that the opera had been written in just 30 days were significant factors.