Composed by Verdi in 1843-44, I due Foscari was first performed at Teatro Argentina, Rome, in November 1844. In his libretto, Piave paints the tragic destiny of the old doge of Venice Francesco Foscari and his son Jacopo in dark colours. The vocal score derives from the critical edition based on Verdi’s autograph score and on the first manuscript exemplar corrected by the composer himself, thus restoring powerful passages that had been excised by Roman censors.

Moreover, the Appendix presen...