Composed between October 1846 and the spring of 1847, "I Masnadieri" features a libretto based on Schiller's play "Die Rauber" (The Robbers). The opera premiered in July 1847 at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, with Jenny Lind as the "prima donna". Verdi himself supervised the rehearsals for the premiere, and the original performing parts, which contain annotations made by the players under Verdi's direction and changes made by the composer during the rehearsals, have been preserved at the archives of the Royal Opera House. The critical edition is the first publicaiton of "I Masnadieri" in full score. Based on the composer's autograph and on important secondary sources such as the performing parts mentioned above, this edition provides scholars and performers alike with unequalled means for interpretation and study of one of Verdi's less well known works. The detailed critical commentary disusses problems and ambiguities in the sources, while a wide-ranging introduction to the score traces the opera's genesis, sources and peformance history and practices.
