'Les vêpres siciliennes' (The Sicilian Vespers) was first performed at the Académie Impériale de Musique in Paris on June 13 1855 to great critical acclaim. However in travelling to then-conservative Italy it got Verdi intotrouble with the censors for its tale of rebellions and tyrants. The plot had to be changed and a happy ending was inserted in Naples and Palermo! This version of the libretto by Eugene Scribe is in Italian and English (thetranslation being by William Weaver).
