Ponchielli is known today for La Gioconda, his only genuine toehold in the repertoire. Two years before his greatest success, however, he wrote I Lituani (The Lithuanians) to a libretto by Italian poet Antonio Ghislanzoni, a sure hand and the man Verdi would turn to for Aida and his revision of La forza de destino. The premiere at La Scala in 1874 was well received, but the work subsequently struggled to find champions, only occasionally being revived by companies curious to know what the composer’s other music sounds like.

The opera is based on an obscure – certainly for Italians of the day – historical poem Konrad Wallenrod written by Lithuanian Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. Set in the 14th century, the story revolves around a Lithuanian noble named Walter who decides to impersonate Corrado Wallenrod, a Teutonic Knight, in order to help his country reverse its fortunes and vanquish their German foes. Ten years later, Aldona, Walter’s wife, searches for him. Too late, however, he is sentenced to...