from Act II of the French opera
Benvenuto Cellini by Hector Berlioz
Libretto: Léon de Wailly
Role: Ascanio, Benvenuto Cellini's apprentice
Voice Part: mezzo-soprano Fach: lyric mezzo
Setting: The courtyard of a tavern, Rome, 1532
Synopsis: Ascanio brings Cellini money to pay for his wine. The money, he says, is from the Papal treasurer. If Cellini uses it, he must complete a work called "Perseus" for the treasurer by morning.