It is the 13th century and a storm is raging on the island of Sicily. Gualtiero, now the chief of a band of pirates after being banished from his land by Ernesto, is in love with Imogene. She loves him too, but is being forced to marry Ernesto to save her father’s life. Vanquished by his enemy, Gualtiero is shipwrecked near the castle of his beloved. What possible issue can there be to this love triangle? With Il Pirata, first performed at La Scala Milan in 1827, the duo formed by the composer Vincenzo Bellini and Felice Romani, his librettist, produced its first real triumph. A rare work in a concert version for two performances.