Cristoforo Colombo (opera)
Role Voice type Premiere cast 6 October 1892 ( Conductor : Luigi Mancinelli )
Cristoforo Colombo , Christopher Columbus baritone Giuseppe Kaschmann
Isabella de Aragona , Queen Isabella I of Spain soprano Elvira Colonnese
Don Fernando Guevara , Captain of the Royal Guards tenor Edoardo Garbin
Don Roldano Ximenes , a Spanish knight bass Francesco Navarrini
Matheos , foreman of the ship 's crew tenor Giovanni Paroli
Anacoana , an Indian queen mezzo-soprano Giulia Novelli
Iguamota , her daughter soprano Elvira Colonnese
Bobita , the old chieftain bass Vittorio Cesarotto
Bobadilla , false messenger of the King of Spain bass Raffaele Terzi
Roles
Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus, ) is an opera in four acts and an epilogue by Alberto Franchetti to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. It was written in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in America. Commissioned by the city of Genoa, Columbus' birthplace, the opera deals with the voyage of discovery, its opposition by the Spanish authorities, Columbus' encouragement by Queen Isabella, and finally, after his difficulties and triumph, his anguish when he learns of her death. An essentially melodic opera only tangentially influenced by the emerging verismo style, it is harmonically rich, with obvious references to the work of Richard Wagner and Meyerbeer. The Act 2 monologue contains a Rhine-like motif; after cries of Terra! Terra! the orchestra replies with Tristan-like ecstasy, and then a rainbow bridge-like triumph. Its anti-church elements have been noted, particularly in the opera's earlier versions: it is the clerics who oppose the voyage initially, and who violently attempt to evangelise the South American natives.