The composer expressed interest in Byron's poem The Corsair (along with The Two Foscari and others) as early as 1844 when he was planning an opera for Venice, but a suitable baritone was not available. In 1845, (before it was determined that I masnadieri was to be the opera presented in London), the composer had contracted with the Milanese publisher, Francesco Lucca, for three operas, including Attila and one for London.
| Original Name | Il corsaro |
| Librettist | Francesco Maria Piave (Based on poem "The Corsair" by Lord Byron) |
| Date of composition | 1848 (1847-1848) |
| Premiered | 1848, October 25th in Trieste, Province of Trieste, Italy |
| Type | Opera |
| Approx. duration | 100 minutes |
| Spoken language | Italian |
| Instruments |
Voice (Tenor)
- Corrado, capitano dei corsari (captain of the Pirates)
Voice (Soprano) - Medora, sua giovane amante (Corrado's young lover) Voice (Baritone) - Seid, pascià di Corone (Pasha of Coron) Voice (Soprano) - Gulnà ra, sua schiava prediletta (Seid's favorite slave) Voice (Tenor) - Selimo, luogotenente di Seid (Official of the Pasha) Voice (Bass) - Giovanni, corsaro (a pirate) Voice (Tenor) - Un eunuco nero (A Black Eunuch) Voice (Tenor) - Uno schiavo (Slave) Chorus/Choir - Corsari, guardie, turchi, schiavi, odalische Orchestra |
| Autotranslations beta |
Giuseppe Verdi: The Corsair Giuseppe Verdi: The Corsair Giuseppe Verdi: The Corsair |