Re Enzo (opera)
Re Enzo is an Italian-language opera in three acts by Ottorino Respighi with a libretto by Alberto Donini, a friend of the composer. It premiered on 12 March 1905 at the Teatro del Corso in Bologna. The original cast were amateur singers from Bologna’s student world, including Lauretta and Leonzio. Respighi asked for only a single performance, which was successful. The work is styled like an operetta, with a sequence of musical numbers and dialogues.
In September 2004, Re Enzo was revived at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by Luigi Pagliarini, with a cast that included Re Enzo, Lauretta, Isabella, Podestà and Gigione. The production was a collaboration among Bologna’s Conservatory, Academy of Arts and University.
Orchestration includes woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp and strings, with on-stage band, trumpets, harps and mandolins.
Plot: Re Enzo, King of Sardinia, is captured by Bologna’s army during the Battle of Fossalta and held prisoner in a palace named after him. The women of the city, attracted by his beauty, want to free him, creating conflict with their husbands.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:34 (CET).