| Assassinio nella cattedrale | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Ildebrando Pizzetti | |
 The assassination of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, the opera's central theme, in a 15th-century depiction by Francke | |
| Librettist | Ildebrando Pizzetti |
| Language | Italian |
| Based on | Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot |
| Premiere | 1 March 1958 La Scala, Milan |
Assassinio nella cattedrale (Murder in the Cathedral) is an opera in two acts and an intermezzo by the Italian composer Ildebrando Pizzetti. The libretto is an adaptation by the composer of an Italian translation of T. S. Eliot's 1935 play Murder in the Cathedral. The opera was first performed at La Scala, Milan, on 1 March 1958. The opera was performed for the first time in Canada the following year at the Montreal Festivals.[1]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 1 March 1958[2] Conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Becket | bass | Nicola Rossi-Lemeni |
| Herald | tenor | Aldo Bertocci |
| First tempter | tenor | Rinaldo Pelizzoni |
| Second tempter | bass | Antonio Cassinelli |
| Third tempter | bass | Nicola Zaccaria |
| Fourth tempter | bass | Lino Puglisi |
| First priest | tenor | Mario Ortica |
| Second priest | baritone | Dino Dondi |
| Third priest | bass | Adolfo Cormanni |
| First knight | tenor | Rinaldo Pelizzoni |
| Second knight | bass | Enrico Campi |
| Third knight | bass | Silvio Maionica |
| Fourth knight | bass | Marco Stefanoni |
| First coryphée | soprano | Leyla Gencer |
| Second coryphée | mezzo-soprano | Gabriella Carturan |
