from Act V of the French|Italian opera
Les Vêpres Siciliennes (I Vespri Siciliani) by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto: Eugène Scribe
Role: La Duchesse Hélène (La Duchessa Elena), Duke Frederick of Austria's sister
Voice Part: soprano Fach: dramatic coloratura
Setting: the gardens of the palace of Montfort, Palermo, 1282
Synopsis: Before being married to Henri, Hélène sings of her great joy in a dance-like fashion that is more akin to a Spanish bolero than a siciliana. At the same time, her joy has been tempered because she has discovered that their wedding bells will be the signal for the Sicilian uprising and massacre of the French.