Title page of the libretto for
Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata printed for the opera's premiere season at
La Scala in 1843. Verdi dedicated the score to
Maria Luigia, the Habsburg Duchess of Parma, who died a few weeks after the premiere. I Lombardi was part of a long tradition of operas set against the background of the medieval
Crusades which dates from the 17th century. In 1847 the opera was significantly revised for performances in Paris with the title Jérusalem and became Verdi's first
grand opera.
Title page of the libretto for
Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata printed for the opera's premiere season at
La Scala in 1843. Verdi dedicated the score to
Maria Luigia, the Habsburg Duchess of Parma, who died a few weeks after the premiere. I Lombardi was part of a long tradition of operas set against the background of the medieval
Crusades which dates from the 17th century. In 1847 the opera was significantly revised for performances in Paris with the title Jérusalem and became Verdi's first
grand opera.