from Prologue of the Italian opera Alzira by Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto: Salvatore Cammarano

Role: Zamoro, the head of a Peruvian tribe

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: spinto

Setting: A vast plain, Peru, mid-16th century

Synopsis: Zamoro has returned from being captured by the Governor of Peru, Gusmano, and his troops. His tribesmen are surprised to see him alive, thinking that he had been killed by Gusmano's torture. After he rails against the injustice that Gusmano has caused him and his people, his tribesmen tell him that Alzira and her father Ataliba, another tribal head, have been taken prisoner by Gusmano. Zamoro resolves to save them from the governor's cruel hands. He then launches in this cabaletta, describing the rebellious air that has been pervading his people.