Judith ( – stress on second syllable) is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1861–1863. Derived from renditions of the story of Judith from the Old Testament Apocrypha, the Russian libretto, though credited to the composer, has a complicated history. The premiere took place in 1863 in Saint Petersburg. This stage debut, supplemented with his next opera Rogneda, made Serov the most important Russian opera composer of the 1860s. Composition history The Italian play Giuditta by Paolo Giacometti, produced in Saint Petersburg in 1860, first inspired the Serov to work on the project as a vehicle for the Italian opera troupe in Saint Petersburg. Using Serov's scenario, Ivan Antonovich Giustiniani wrote a libretto in Italian. When an Italian production of the proposed opera proved legally impossible, the Italian libretto was translated into Russian by Konstantin Zvantsov and Dmitry Lobanov, and some verses were added by the poet Apollon Maykov; in the meantime, the composer was writing the music without having the words ahead of time. Performance history The world premiere was given on 16 May 1863 at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, conducted by Konstantin Lyadov and starring Mikhail Sariotti as Holofernes and Valentina Bianki as Judith. The Moscow premiere took place in 1865 at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow conducted by Shramek. Publication history 1885, piano-vocal score, Gutheil, Moscow 1903, full score, Belyayev, Leipzig Roles Judith, an Israelite woman, widow of a Jewish warrior: soprano Avra, her slave: mezzo-soprano Ozias, an elder of the city of Bethulia: bass Charmis, an elder of the city of Bethulia: bass Eliachim, Jewish high priest: bass Achior, chief of the Ammonites, subjugated to Holofernes: tenor Holofernes, Assyrian commander: bass Asfaneses, retainer of Holofernes: bass Bagoas, head of Holofernes' harem: tenor 1st Odalisque: soprano 2nd Odalisque: mezzo-soprano People, Jewish warriors, odalisques, Assyrian chiefs and warriors, feasters, male and female slaves of Holofernes Synopsis Time: The 6th Century BC. Place: In and around Bethulia Act 1 At midday in a square in Bethulia, which is still under siege by Holofernes and his Assyrian troops, the people suffer from despair and thirst. The elders Ozias and Charmi report that all the roads are now cut off, and the last source of water has dried up. The high priest Eliachim, however, hopes for a miracle, but the people want to surrender the city to end their suffering. The elders ask them to wait