Regarded by many as Mercadante’s masterpiece, La vestale (The Vestal Virgin) was first staged in Naples in 1840. It tells the tragic story of Emilia, who takes her vows as a vestal, thinking her beloved Decio dead. His triumphant return from war offers a dilemma that is only finally resolved by the death of the lovers, Decio by his own hand, and Emilia buried alive. Military triumph and the final entombment of Emilia anticipate events in Verdi’s Aida, written thirty years later. Wexford Festival Opera is acclaimed world-wide for its courageous programming of neglected repertoire and its high production values.