Rossini: Mose in Egitto (1819 Naples version of the complete opera)

Rossini's Mosè in Egitto, described as an azione tragico-sacra, combines the biblical narrative of the release of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt, and a more characteristically operatic element in the love of Pharaoh's son Osiride for the Hebrew girl Elcìa, making this also a typical conflict between love and duty. The piece was reworked in 1822 for Paris with new arias, but is given here in the slightly revised Italian version of 1819, which includes the famous Act 3 Preghiera of Moses.