Mascagni & Puccini Cavalleria rusticana & Gianni Schicchi
Sunday 25 February 2024 - 15 h
Tuesday 27 February 2024 - 20 h
Thursday 29 February 2024 - 20 h
Melodramma in one act
Music by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)
Libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti et Guido Menasci, based on the short story of the same name by Giovanni Verga
Premiere : Teatro Costanzi, Roma, 17 may 1890
Comic opera in one act, from’Il trittico
Music by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, based on one episode of the Chant XXX de L’Enfer (La Divine Comédie) by Dante
Premiere : Metropolitan Opera, New York, 14 december 1918
New production
Since innovation is not a crime, these two works, which are not often seen together, will be the object of a new production by director Grischa Asagaroff: Cavalleria rusticana, the founding opus of the verismo movement and Mascagni’s greatest success, will precede Gianni Schicchi, the third opera of the Trittico cycle, Puccini’s late masterpiece. Both works were written by composers who shared the same stages and a similar idea of the operatic narrative, and each of whom provided a striking contrast between the two faces of Italy. On one side, the fiery Sicily described in Verga’s short story, where passions are as intense as the sun that crushes its villages, and its inherent fatality that leads to death. On the other side, the refinement of Dante’s medieval and popular, elegant and spiritual city of Florence, where the vis comica colours each instant with infectious humour. In short, two operas theatrically inspired and filled with memorable lyrical flights. Under the direc-tion of Speranza Scappucci, the Italian conductor whose career is rising rapidly, two casts will work unfailingly to render justice to the extreme tension of Mascagni’s music and the agility of Puccini’s score.
Video
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo
Académie de musique Rainier III
Speranza Scappucci
Speranza Scappucci opened 2022 making history as the first Italian woman to conduct at Teatro alla Scala in Milan (I Capuleti e i Montecchi). In the 2022/23 season, with her following house debuts at Royal Opera House in London (Attila), at Berlin State Opera (L’elisir d’amore), at Opéra national de Paris (I Capuleti e I Montecchi) and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (Rigoletto) she consolidated her position as one of the most interesting conductors of her generation on the international scene. Later in the season, Speranza returned to the Canadian Opera Company to conduct Macbeth in Toronto. Besides the opera productions, she conducted concerts at La Scala in Milan, at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and led the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de chambre de Genève as well as the Orchestre national de Lyon. In the previous seasons, she conducted La traviata at Liceu in Barcelona, Lucia di Lammermoor at New National Theatre in Tokyo and Opernhaus Zürich, Verdi’s Requiem at Arena di Verona, L’elisir d’amore, La bohème and La Cenerentola at Vienna State Opera, Tosca at Washington Opera and La bohème at Opernhaus Zürich and Semperoper Dresden, among others. From 2017 to 2022, Speranza Scappucci held the position of Music Director at Opéra royal de Wallonie in Liège. There she conducted Dialogues des carmélites, Simon Boccanegra, Eugen Onegin, Madama Butterfly, La Cenerentola, La sonnambula, Aida and I puritani.
Grischa Asagaroff
Born in Siegen (Germany), Grischa Asagaroff studied theatre, musicology and art history in Munich. From 1966 to 1969 he was stage manager and assistant director under Rudolf Hartmann and Günther Rennert at the Bavarian State Opera (Munich). He then worked in Dortmund and from 1971 to 1979 at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. From 1979 to 2016 he worked at the Opernhaus Zürich as director of production, artistic administrator and stage director; there he directed numerous productions including Don Pasquale, Maria Stuarda, Il barbiere di Siviglia, I puritani, La sonnambula, Ernani, Fedora, I puritani, L’elisir d'amore, Macbeth, Eugene Onegin, Manon Lescaut, Andrea Chenier, Madama Butterfly, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci. He has worked closely with Claus Helmut Drese and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and restaged the latter’s productions even after his death and until today. In 2014-2016 he was the casting director of the Salzburg Festival. Since 2016 he has worked as freelance stage director in Milan, Vienna, Madrid, London, Athens, Buenos Aires, Dresden, Tokyo, Brussels, Prague, Bucharest, San Francisco, Paris, Naples, Florence, Venice, Genoa, Lisbon, Houston and many other opera houses. At Monte Carlo Opera he directed Don Pasquale in 2003 and restaged Ponnelle’s La Cenerentola in 2017.
Luigi Perego
Born in 1956 in Barzanò, Lombardy, Luigi Perego graduated in scenography in 1981 from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. He has designed the sets and costumes for L’elisir d’amore, La Cenerentola and The Barber of Seville for children at La Scala in Milan, The Magic Flute, L’elisir d’amore and A Masked Ball at Bucharest National Opera, Tosca in Osaka, at the Teatro Regio in Turin and Korea National Opera, Prima la musica poi le parole by Salieri at La Scala, Carmen in Prague, Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, Idomeneo, Don Giovanni and L’elisir d’amore at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, Nabucco in Turin, Reggio Emilia and Parma, Don Giovanni in Cologne, Manon at the Deutsche Oper of Berlin, Così fan tutte in Palermo. He has developed close ties with Zurich Opera, where he designed the sets of Capriccio, Ariadne auf Naxos, La Cenerentola, Don Pasquale, Un giorno di regno, The Barber of Seville, I quatto rusteghi, Il segreto di Susanna, Gianni Schicchi, Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, L’italiana in Algeri and Il re pastore. Since 1983 he has also worked for leading theatres, such as Teatro Eliseo in Rome (notably The Merry Wives of Windsor and Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare), the Burgtheater in Vienna (Six Characters in Search of an Author by Pirandello), the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, the Schaubühne in Berlin, Teatro di Roma and Teatro Ghione in Rome, Teatro Verga in Catania.
Gigi Saccomandi
Born in 1953 in Sesto San Giovanni (Milan), Gigi Saccomandi graduated in Performing Arts from the University of Bologna. He took courses in lighting engineering at Milan State University and the Brera Academy. He began his career in 1980 and has since worked with leading theatre directors such as Cesare Lievi, Luca De Fusco, Massimo Castri, Nanni Garella, Giorgio Marini, Peter Mussbach, Pierluigi Pizzi, Walter Pagliaro, Arold Pinter, Luca Ronconi, Sandro Sequi, Federico Tiezzi, among others, in the most important Italian and European theatres: Teatro alla Scala, Zurich Opera House, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Metropolitan Opera House in New York, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Salzburg Festival, Burghtheater and Staatsoper in Vienna, Schaubuhne in Berlin, Thalia Teater in Hamburg and many others. He received the National Association of Theatre Critics Award in 2006, the UBU Award in 2008, the Hystrio Award in 2014 and the Le Maschere del Teatro Award in 2015 and 2018. Over the course of his career, in both opera and theatre, he has designed the lighting for more than 300 shows.
Stefano Visconti
Maria José Siri
Acclaimed interpreter of the most famous Verdian and Puccini heroines with a repertoire ranging from bel canto to verismo, Maria José Siri is considered today among the most important sopranos on the international opera scene. After singing Lucrezia Contarini, exalting the poignant drama of Verdi’s heroine in the new production of I due Foscari at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, she charmed the Austrian audience at the Musikverein in Graz singing an incisive Abigail alongside Plácido Domingo as Nabucco. Successfully interpreting this role also in the Arena di Verona season, a season in which she did not miss her workhorse Aida, also performed in a production at the Semperoper Dresden. Furthermore, in the Arena di Verona she performed with excellent feedback also on the occasion of the Gala Domingo in Verdi Opera Night, making her debut as Lady Macbeth. Born in Uruguay with Italian roots, Maria José approached music from the age of five and began her vocal studies at ENAL (Escuela Nacional de Arte Lírico) in Montevideo, then perfecting herself at the Paris Conservatory and then with the great Ileana Cotrubas. In 2016 she inaugurated the Teatro alla Scala interpreting Madama Butterfly with great success with audiences and critics. Awarded in 2017 with the Oscar della Lirica. Her forthcoming engagements include: Aida, Madama Butterfly and Nabucco at the Arena di Verona, Aida also in Berlin, Attila in Graz.
Annunziata Vestri
Winner of several singing competitions, including Spoleto, Battistini, Toti Dal Monte, Barbieri, and finalist at Operalia and Francisco Viñas, Annunziata Vestri is an artist with a wide and heterogeneous voice combined with strong acting skills. Her repertoire ranges from dramatic and verismo to buffo and character roles. She began studying singing and piano at a very young age, perfecting herself under the guidance of artists such as Renata Scotto, Regina Resnik, Daniela Dessi, Renato Bruson, and Mirella Freni. She made her debut in 2003 as Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), followed by roles such as Carmen (Carmen), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Azucena (Il trovatore), Amneris (Aida), Preziosilla (La forza del destino), Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera), Quickly (Falstaff), Rosa Mamai (L’arlesiana), Tancredi and Isaura (Tancredi), Neris (Medea), Madelon (Andrea Chénier), Marquise de Berkenfield (La Fille du régiment) in opera houses such as Naples, Turin, Parma, Rome, Genoa, Palermo, Bologna, Bari, Cagliari, Bergamo, Trieste, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Macerata Opera Festival, in Italy, and Marseille, Monte Carlo (Andrea Chénier in 2023), Nice, Kazan, Kiel, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Wexford Opera Festival, Théâtre de La Monnaie in Brussels, Tatar State Opera and The Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, abroad, among others. Recently she has performed with the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Yusif Eyvazov
Yusif Eyvazov is a dramatic tenor with a thriving international performing career. He was also recently appointed as the Director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, in his home country, where he also holds the title of “People’s Artist of Azerbaijan.” Yusif performs regularly on the stages of all of the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid, Berlin State Opera, Royal Opera House in London, Paris National Opera, Liceu Opera Barcelona and The Metropolitan Opera in New York, among others. The unique sound of his voice, described as “metallic, stentorian and markedly Italianate” (L.A. Times), and an outstanding stage presence have allowed him to combine an active opera career with frequent concert performances. Yusif has appeared on numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon including a complete recording of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut live from the Salzburg Festival, and with his wife, soprano Anna Netrebko on the cross-over album Romanza. Most recently Yusif Eyvazov performed Radamès (Aida) in Madrid, Cavaradossi (Tosca) in Buenos Aires, Zurich, Madrid, Vienna and at the Salzburg Festival, Manrico (Il trovatore) at the Paris Opera, the title role in Andrea Chénier at Teatro alla Scala, Calaf (Turandot) at the Metropolitan Opera as well as Radamès, the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Calaf, Canio (Pagliacci) and Turiddu (Cavalleria rusticana) at the Arena di Verona.
Peter Kalman
A broad range of repertoire on leading international stages distinguishes Hungarian Péter Kálmán as one of the most dynamic bass-baritones today. Highly regarded for his engaging character portrayals in the Italian “Buffo” tradition, he is no less accomplished in the dramatic roles of Bartók, Strauss and Wagner. He has worked with the world’s most prestigious conductors including Alain Altinoglu, Christoph von Dohnányi, Ádám Fischer, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Marc Minkowski, Nello Santi, Stefan Soltész, Franz Welser-Möst, Jaap van Zweden. Highlights of the recent past include Il trittico at La Monnaie (Brussels), Le nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne Festival, La Cenerentola (Don Magnifico) at Seattle Opera, L’italiana in Algeri (Mustafa) and Semele at Salzburg Withsun Festival, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Alberich) at Müpa (Budapest), Il barbiere di Siviglia at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Fierrabras at Salzburg Festival, Rossini’s Otello at Opernhaus Zürich, La Cenerentola at Bergen National Opera, Norma in a cast anchored by Cecilia Bartoli in Paris, Baden-Baden and Monte Carlo. At the Hungarian State Opera (Budapest) where he is a regular guest, he has portrayed Scarpia in Tosca, the four villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier, Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the title roles of Don Pasquale and Gianni Schicchi.
Elena Zilio
The Italian mezzo-soprano Elena Zilio performs at all major European opera houses. Her roles include Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des carmélites) at Oper Frankfurt, Filipievna (Eugene Onegin) at Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich), Madelon (Andrea Chénier) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, in Bilbao, at Deutsche Oper Berlin and La Scala Milan, Ericlea (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria) at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva. She is a regular guest at the Royal Opera House (London), where her roles include Zita (Gianni Schicchi), the Abbess (Suor Angelica), Madelon, Lucia (Cavalleria rusticana), Grandmother Buryja (Jenůfa). Other major roles include Hécube (Les Troyens) at La Scala Milan, Ericlea at Opera Vlaanderen, Miss Quickly (Falstaff) in Florence, Lyon and Nantes, Mrs Sedley (Peter Grimes) in Turin. Elena Zilio recorded Puccini’s Il trittico, under the direction of Antonio Pappano (EMI). Recent and forthcoming engagements include Cavalleria rusticana and Jenufa at Royal Opera House, (Eugene Onegin) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Liceu de Barcelona and Teatro Real de Madrid, Dialogues des carmélites and Eugene Onegin at Oper Frankfurt, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria in Geneva, Lakmé at Teatro Real in Madrid, Andrea Chénier (Madelon) and Cavalleria rusticana at La Scala.
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo
Académie de musique Rainier III
Nicola Alaimo
Winner of the 2016 Abbiati Prize, Nicola Alaimo is one of the most appreciated and versatile performers on the international music scene today. He is a regular guest of such prestigious venues as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Teatro Regio in Turin, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Salzburg Festival, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Monte Carlo Opera, Paris Opera, the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Opernhaus Zürich and the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Very successful was his performance in title role of Guillaume Tell, which he portrayed in Paris, Monte Carlo, Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels and at Chorégies d’Orange. Recent highlights include a tour with La Cenerentola, Il turco in Italia and a Rossini Gala alongside Cecilia Bartoli and conducted by Gianluca Capuano, a triumphant Falstaff with John Eliot Gardiner in Firenze and with Myung Whun Chung in Venice, his iconic Melitone in La forza del destino in Paris, an acclaimed Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) in Salzburg and Falstaff in Tokyo. His plans include L’italiana in Algeri and La Cenerentola in Zurich, Nabucco and Roberto Devereux in Geneva, L’esule di Roma at the Barbican Centre in London, La Cenerentola and Adriana Lecouvreur in Toulouse, Guillaume Tell in Liège.
Nina Minasyan
Nina Minasyan was born in Armenia and became a soloist at the Yerevan Conservatory Opera Studio in 2010. A prize-winner at the Tatevik Sazandaryan and Pavel Lisitsian Singing Competition in 2011, she joined the programme for young artists at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and perfected her skills under the guidance of Elena Obraztsova, Evgeny Nesterenko, Lyubov Orfenova, Mzia Bachtouridze and Diane Zola. She made her stage debut at the Bolshoi Theatre as Xenia in Boris Godunov, and in The Queen of Spades, The Love for Three Oranges, Prince Igor, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, and Così fan tutte. She performed in concert at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow and at New York’s Carnegie Hall. In 2015, she made her Deutsche Oper debut in Berlin and sang Gilda in Rigoletto at the Bolshoi Theatre. She later sang the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and at the Opéra national de Paris. She performed Norina in Don Pasquale at the Bolshoi Theatre and made debut performances at La Monnaie in Brussels and Teatro Real de Madrid in The Golden Cockerel. She portrayed the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at the Vienna State Opera and made her Cologne Opera debut as Gilda. She also sang Oscar in Un ballo in maschera in Paris and Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Holland Festival. Among her future engagements are Rigoletto in Verona and Rome, La traviata in Verona, La Juive in Turin, Don Pasquale in Vienna and Un ballo in maschera at Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Elena Zilio
The Italian mezzo-soprano Elena Zilio performs at all major European opera houses. Her roles include Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des carmélites) at Oper Frankfurt, Filipievna (Eugene Onegin) at Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich), Madelon (Andrea Chénier) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, in Bilbao, at Deutsche Oper Berlin and La Scala Milan, Ericlea (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria) at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva. She is a regular guest at the Royal Opera House (London), where her roles include Zita (Gianni Schicchi), the Abbess (Suor Angelica), Madelon, Lucia (Cavalleria rusticana), Grandmother Buryja (Jenůfa). Other major roles include Hécube (Les Troyens) at La Scala Milan, Ericlea at Opera Vlaanderen, Miss Quickly (Falstaff) in Florence, Lyon and Nantes, Mrs Sedley (Peter Grimes) in Turin. Elena Zilio recorded Puccini’s Il trittico, under the direction of Antonio Pappano (EMI). Recent and forthcoming engagements include Cavalleria rusticana and Jenufa at Royal Opera House, (Eugene Onegin) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Liceu de Barcelona and Teatro Real de Madrid, Dialogues des carmélites and Eugene Onegin at Oper Frankfurt, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria in Geneva, Lakmé at Teatro Real in Madrid, Andrea Chénier (Madelon) and Cavalleria rusticana at La Scala.
Edgardo Rocha
Born in Rivera (Uruguay) Edgardo Rocha studied piano, choral and orchestra conducting and vocal studies in Montevideo. He continued his studies in Italy with Jorge Ansorena. He made his debut in 2010 in Gianni di Parigi at the Martina Franca Festival. He became especially well-known in the Rossini repertoire: La Cenerentola in Vienna, Stuttgart, Seville, Lausanne, Monte Carlo, Munich and on a European tour with Cecilia Bartoli, The Barber of Seville in Vienna, Valencia, Madrid, Naples, Lausanne, Munich, Dresden, Zurich, Paris (Bastille), Tel Aviv, Hamburg, Verona, Rome, Lugano, L’italiana in Algeri in Vienna and Barcelona, La scala di seta, Otello (Jago), Il viaggio a Reims (Belfiore), Le Comte Ory and Il turco in Italia in Zurich, Il turco in Italia in Turin, Otello (Rodrigo) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Otello (Jago), La gazza ladra and Il turco in Italia at La Scala de Milan, Otello (Rodrigo), La donna del lago, L’italiana in Algeri and The Barber of Seville at the Salzburg Festival… He also performed in Don Pasquale in Florence and Verona, Così fan tutte in Naples and Turin, Les Pêcheurs de perles in Nancy, I puritani in Stuttgart, La Juive in Munich, Der Rosenkavalier in Dresden, Anna Bolena in Lausanne and Geneva, Maria Stuarda in Geneva, La sonnambula in Nice and Düsseldorf. Forthcoming engagements include Il turco in Italia in Madrid, Lakmé and L’italiana in Algeri in Zurich, The Barber of Seville in Los Angeles and Vienna, Roberto Devereux in Geneva, Don Pasquale, Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni in Vienna.
Enrico Casari
Enrico Casari studied singing at the Conservatory of Verona, then with Augusto Vicentini, Ivo Vinco and Sherman Lowe. He then trained at Opera Vlaanseren’s Opera Studio in Ghent and at the Opéra national du Rhin’s Opera Studio. His previous engagements include Beppe (Pagliacci) at Monte Carlo Opera, Metz Opera and Opéra royal de Wallonie (Liège), Des Grieux (Manon), Count Barigoule (Cendrillon) and Brighella (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Opéra royal de Wallonie, Tamino (The Magic Flute) at Teatro Comunale in Bolzano, Rouen Opera and Bozar in Brussels, Janek (The Makropulos Affair) at the Opéra national du Rhin and La Fenice in Venice, Dormont (La scala di seta) at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor) in Rouen, Limoges, Reims and Lille, Valzacchi (Der Rosenkavalier) at Opéra national du Rhin, Malcolm (Macbeth) at Monte Carlo Opera. Recent highlights include the roles of Narraboth (Salome) at Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and Teatro Comunale in Bologna, the Remendado (Carmen) at the Arena di Verona, Zivny (Osud) at Janáček Brno Festival, the title role in Candide in Vilnius, among others. In the 2022/23 season, he sang Ismaele (Nabucco) in Brno, made his Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, debut as Alfred (Die Fledermaus), his debut at the Opéra national de Paris as Odoardo (Ariodante) and his debut at the Torre del Lago Festival as Goro (Madama Butterfly) and Tinca (Il tabarro).
Giovanni Romeo
Milanese bass-baritone Giovanni Romeo is one of the youngest Italian talents establishing themselves at the most prestigious international opera houses, such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Vienna State Opera, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Atlanta Opera, Monte Carlo Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, NCPA in Beijing, ABAO Olbe in Bilbao, Opéra Grand Avignon, Royal Opera House in Muscat, and many others. Major performances include his buffo roles, such as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, the title role in Don Pasquale and Dr. Dulcamara L’elisir d’amore. But his vocal and dramatic versatility ranges as far as Schaunard in La bohème and Sancho Pança in Don Quichotte. His real success, however, came with his signature role, Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, a role that Giovanni Romeo has played many times (over 60 official performances) and has led him to perform at major opera houses in Italy and abroad. Among these, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s renowned production at La Scala, in which he joined Leo Nucci and Ruggero Raimondi. Most recently, he made his debut as Prosdocimo in Il turco in Italia, alongside Cecilia Bartoli.
Giovanni Furlanetto
Giovanni Furlanetto graduated in singing from Pedrollo Conservatory in Vicenza. He imposed himself on the international scene by winning in 1988 the Opera Company of Philadelphia – Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. His career brought him to perform in many leading theatres and festivals including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Salzburg Festival, Bavarian State Opera Munich, Staatsoper Berlin, Opéra National de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Monte Carlo Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Liceu in Barcelona, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, San Francisco Opera Company. Ideal interpreter of Mozart’s, Rossini’s and Donizetti’s repertoire, he worked with important conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Lorin Maazel, Sir Antonio Pappano, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Muti. His recent highlights include Andrea Chénier at Monte Carlo Opera, Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi at Théâtre royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Don Pasquale at Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Leporello in Don Giovanni at New National Theatre in Tokyo, Otello with Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Zubin Mehta, Lucia di Lammermoor at Semperoper Dresden and Nabucco at Teatro alla Scala.
Eugenio di Lieto
Born in Terracina, Italy, Eugenio Di Lieto completed his musical education at the “Ottorino Respighi” Conservatory in Latina and the “Francesco Morlacchi” Conservatory in Perugia. He specialized in baroque and classical repertoire under the guidance of Gemma Bertagnolli, Gloria Banditelli, Claudio Desderi, Marina Comparato and Max von Edmund. He then studied at the Accademia of Teatro alla Scala (with Luciana D’Intino, Eva Mei, Renato Bruson), taking part in several theatre productions: Cherubini’s Alì Baba, Mozart’s Waisenhausmesse with Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico, Khovanshchina conducted by Valery Gergiev, Gianni Schicchi (Simone). Particularly interesting is his collaboration with the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale in Spoleto, where he performed Alcina, La serva padrona, Carissimi’s Jephte, Hasse’s La finta tedesca and La bohème (Colline) on tour in Japan. He was selected to take part in the Opera Studio in Tenerife for the title role in Don Pasquale, where he returned for Lucrezia Borgia and Un ballo in maschera. His past engagements include Il barbiere di Siviglia (Don Basilio) in Pisa, Livorno, Lucca, Novara and Rome (Teatro Argentina), Puccini’s Trittico at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, La bohème (Colline) in Messina, Tirana and on tour in Japan, Die Zauberflöte in Livorno, Pisa, Lucca, Bergamo, Como, Brescia, Cremona, Pavia and Tenerife, Mozart’s Krönungsmesse and Requiem in Mumbai.
Rosa Bove
Rosa Bove studied at the conservatory in her hometown Salerno. Her first operatic engagements started in Naples and at the Festival Pergolesi Spontini in Jesi. Subsequently, she walked the international scene in roles such as Valentiano in Handel’s Ezio at Schwetzingen Festival, Alcandro in Pergolesi’s L’Olimpiade under Alessandro De Marchi at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at the Byblos International Festival in Lebanon, Cardella in Pergolesi’s Lo frate ‘nnamorato under Fabio Biondi at the Festival Pergolesi Spontini, Aristea in Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade at Garsington Opera and Semira in Hasse’s Artaserse at the Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca. In recent seasons she made several important debuts: at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Norma with Cecilia Bartoli), at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, at Teatro Regio in Turin (L’italiana in Algeri), at Monte Carlo Opera (La Cenerentola), at Teatro La Fenice in Venice (La scala di seta, L’occasione fa il ladro, Die Zauberflöte, Valtinoni’s Pinocchio, Vivaldi’s Dorilla in Tempe, Farnace and La Griselda), at the Salzburg Festival (Iphigénie en Tauride alongside Cecilia Bartoli conducted by Diego Fasolis). She returned to the Festival in 2018 as Zulma in L’italiana in Algeri. She also made her debuts alongside Cecilia Bartoli at the Lucerne Festival, the Auditorio in Madrid, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona and the Vienna State Opera as Tisbe in La Cenerentola.
Matteo Peirone
The Italian bass Matteo Peirone studied with Franca Mattiucci, Paolo Montarsolo and Renata Scotto. He has won several international competitions (Aslico in Milano, Verdi in Parma, Voltolini in Mantova). He has already performed in the most important opera houses in Italy and abroad, standing out as interpreter of the principal roles of basso buffo or brillante and in other character play roles. He is regularly invited at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He sang under the direction of Riccardo Muti in Le nozze di Figaro, both in Milan and in Ravenna with the Wiener Philharmoniker. He recently recorded for Decca the role of Sacrestano in Tosca conducted by Zubin Mehta, and released DVD productions for TDK of La bohème from La Scala (Benoit/Alcindoro) and Xersès with Les Talens lyriques and Christophe Rousset. Recent highlights include La bohème in Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Munich, Genoa, Bari, Turin, Naples, Mumbai, Hamburg and Amsterdam, Le nozze di Figaro in Turin, Bari, Palermo and Amsterdam, Tosca and La bohème at La Scala, Puccini’s Trittico in London and Rome, Don Giovanni in Edinburgh, Budapest and New York, Gianni Schicchi in Amsterdam and Munich, Tosca in Salzburg (Easter Festival) and Dresden. Future engagements include La bohème in Muscat, Genoa, Turin and Cagliari, Tosca in Naples, Palermo, Gstaad, Baden Baden and at Salzburg Festival, Manon Lescaut in Genoa and Cagliari.
Fabrice Alibert
Fabrice Alibert studied singing and composition at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional of Toulouse. He received a Master’s degree from the Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse of Lyon, and went on to improve his skills in the class of Andreas Schmidt at the Munich Hochschule. In 2011-12 he attended the CNIPAL in Marseille. He also received further instruction from Alain Garichot, Rie Hamada, Didier Laclau-Barrère, Giovanni Mastino, Udo Reinemann, Ludovic Tézier and Vincent Vittoz. In 2010 he made his stage debut as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In 2013 he joined a world-tour of West Side Story with the Solistes de Lyon-Bernard Tétu (China, Canada, Switzerland, France). He subsequently performed in Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro), The Magic Flute (Papageno), La Cenerentola (Dandini), La Bohème (Marcello), Carmen (Escamillo, Moralès), Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas), L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Clock and Cat), Les Cloches de Corneville (Henry), Roméo et Juliette (Mercutio), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) in Besançon, Clermont-Ferrand, Limoges, Saint-Étienne, Compiègne, Grenoble and Toulouse. In 2019 and 2020 he performed Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri with Ensemble Matheus, under the direction of Jean-Christophe Spinosi. At the Chorégies d’Orange he performed in L’elisir d’amore (Dulcamara) and in Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. At Monte Carlo Opera he portrayed Benoit in La Bohème, Second Apprentice in Wozzeck, Mathieu in Andrea Chénier and Marchese d’Obigny in La traviata.
Caterina Di Tonno
Neapolitan by birth, but Roman by adoption, Caterina Di Tonno studied piano and violin before graduating in vocal studies at the Conservatorio di Pescara. She continued her studies with Mariella Devia at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. Winner of many national and international awards, in 2007 she won the Toti Dal Monte Competition for her interpretation of Despina (Così fan tutte). Her roles include Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro) and Despina in the Mozart/ Da Ponte trilogy at the Fenice in Venice, directed by Damiano Michieletto and conducted by Antonello Manacorda, followed by Papagena (The Magic Flute). She was Giovanna in the televised production of Rigoletto in Mantua, directed by Marco Bellocchio and conducted by Zubin Mehta, under whose direction she also sang the role of High Priestess in Aida at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. She also performed in La grotta di Trofonio by Paisiello at the Festival della Valle d’Itria and at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, was Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore directed by Damiano Michieletto in Valencia, Despina and Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro) at La Monnaie in Brussels. She has appeared on screen as Nella in Gianni Schicchi, a film directed by Damiano Michieletto and conducted by Stefano Montanari. In 2021 and 2022 she was invited to the Festival Donizetti in Bergamo to perform in Mayr’s Medea and in La Favorite, winner of the 2022 Abbiati Production Award.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Conductor
Speranza Scappucci
Director
Grischa Asagaroff
Assistant director
Heiko Hentschel
Sets & costumes
Luigi Perego
Assistant sets
Luca Filaci
Lighting design
Gigi Saccomandi
Repetitor
David Zobel
Choirmaster
Stefano Visconti
SOLoISTS
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Santuzza
Maria José Siri
Lola
Annunziata Vestri
Turiddu
Yusif Eyvazov
Alfio
Peter Kalman
Lucia
Elena Zilio
Rôle parlé
Federica Spatola
GIANNI SCHICCHI
Gianni Schicchi
Nicola Alaimo
Lauretta
Nina Minasyan
Zita
Elena Zilio
Rinuccio
Edgardo Rocha
Gherardo
Enrico Casari
Betto di Signa
Giovanni Romeo
Simone
Giovanni Furlanetto
Marco
Eugenio di Lieto
La Ciesca
Rosa Bove
Maestro Spinelloccio
Matteo Peirone
Ser Amantio di Nicolao
Fabrice Alibert
Nella
Caterina Di Tonno
Gherardino
Egon Rostagni / Chloé Macchi
Guccio
Przemyslaw Baranek
Pinellino
Luca Vianello
FIGURATION
Olivier Ardain
Heathcliff Bonnet
Sophie Boursier
Adrian Cerou
Lisa Chirol
Guillaume Gallo Manrique
Nicolas Houssin
Arnaud Jouan
Benjamin Le Duff
Nicolas Leroy
Alain Louis-Jacquet
Stephane Martin
Laurence Meini
Sophie Payan
Artem Ustinov
Vincent Van Heghe
Nicolas Vitale
CHORUS OF CHILDREN of the ACADEMIE DE MUSIQUE RAINIER III
Choirmaster
Bruno Habert
Inès BEAUVOIS
Maiya FABRY SOULIER
Leane FOURGON
Francesca GERE BATTAGLIA
Mathilde GRINDA
Léa GUILLERET
Chloé MACCHI
Egon ROSTAGNI
Yiana SFEIR
Rosalia SZÜTS
Sevan VERDOYAN
Thalia VERDOYAN
CHORUS OF THE OPÉRA DE MONTE-CARLO
Choirmater
Stefano Visconti
Pianist assistant to the choirmaster & consultant for the musical organisation
Aurelio Scotto
Chorus manager & librarian
Colette Audat
Sopranos I
Galia BAKALOV
Luisa Maria BERTOLI*
Antonella CESARIO
Fiorella DI LUCA*
Chiara IAIA
Giovanna MINNITI
Felicity MURPHY
Biagia PUCCIO*
Erica Rondini*
Ilenia TOSATTO*
Paola VIARA-VALLE
Sopranos II
Rossella ANTONACCI
Valérie MARRET
Gaëlle MEGUERDIJIAN*
Letizia PIANIGIANI
Laura Maria ROMO CONTRERAS
VITTORIA GIACOBAZZI
Mezzosopranos
Teresa BRAMWELL-DAVIES
Erica CORTESE*
Géraldine MELAC
Suma MELLANO
Alessandra MEOZZI*
Federica SPATOLA
Altos
Cecilia BERNINI*
ORNELLA CORVI
Maria-Elisabetta DE GIORGI
Matilde LAZZARONI*
Carla MATTIOLI*
Catia PIZZI
Paola SCALTRITI
Rosa TORTORA
Simona TOTELECAN*
Tenors I
Walter BARBARIA
Matthew BRIDLE*
Lorenzo CALTAGIRONE
Jaime Andrés CANTO NAVARRO*
Domenico CAPPUCCIO
Vincenzo DI NOCERA
Thierry DIMEO
Caio DURAN PREVIATTI*
Nicolo LA FARCIOLA
Sergio MARTELLA*
Tenors II
Halil Ufuk ASLAN*
Andrea CIVETTA*
Gianni COSSU
Pasquale FERRARO
Benoît GUNALONS*
Fabio MARZI
Marco Angelo MÜLLER*
Adolfo SCOTTO DI LUZIO
Salvatore TAIELLO
Baritones
Fabio BONAVITA
Vincenzo CRISTOFOLI
Daniele DEL BUE
Armando NAPOLETANO*
Luca VIANELLO
Basses
Andrea ALBERTOLLI
Przemyslaw BARANEK
Thomas EPSTEIN*
Hugues GEORGES*
Paolo MARCHINI
Edgardo RINALDI
Matthew THISTLETON
Giuseppe ZEMA*
*additional chorus members for performances of Cavalleria rusticana & Gianni Schicchi
ORCHESTRE PHILHARMONIQUE DE MONTE-CARLO
Artistic and musical director
KAZUKI YAMADA
Violins I
David Lefèvre
Liza Kerob
Sibylle Duchesne
Ilyoung Chae
Diana Mykhalevych
Gabriel Milito
Sorin Turc
Mitchell Huang
Thierry Bautz
Zhang Zhang
Isabelle Josso
Morgan Bodinaud
Milena Legourska
Jae-Eun Lee
Adela Urcan
NN
Violins II
Peter Szüts
Nicolas Delclaud
Camille Ameriguian-Musco
Frédéric Gheorghiu
Nicolas Slusznis
Alexandre Guerchovitch
Gian Battista Ermacora
Laetitia Abraham
Katalin Szüts-Lukacs
Eric Thoreux
Raluca Hood-Marinescu
Andriy Ostapchuk
Sofija Radic
Hubert Touzery
Altos
François Méreaux
Federico Andres Hood
François Duchesne
Charles Lockie
Richard Chauvel
Mireille Wojciechowski
Sofia Timofeeva
Tristan Dely
Raphaël Chazal
Ying Xiong
Thomas Bouzy
Ruggero Mastrolorenzi
Cellos
Thierry Amadi
Delphine Perrone
Alexandre Fougeroux
Florence Riquet
Bruno Posadas
Thomas Ducloy
Patrick Bautz
Florence Leblond
Thibault Leroy
Caroline Roeland
Double basses
Matthias Bensmana
Tarik Bahous
Mariana Vouytcheva
Jenny Boulanger
Sylvain Rastoul
Eric Chapelle
Dorian Marcel
NN
Flutes
ANNE MAUGUE
RAPHAËLLE TRUCHOT BARRAYA
DELPHINE HUEBER
Piccolo
MALCY GOUGET
Oboe
MATTHIEU BLOCH
MATTHIEU PETITJEAN
MARTIN LEFÈVRE
English horn
Mathilde Rampelberg
Clarinets
MARIE-B. BARRIÈRE-BILOTE
nn
E-flat clarinet
DIANA SAMPAIO
Bass clarinet
Véronique Audard
Bassoons
FRANCK LAVOGEZ
ARTHUR MENRATH
MICHEL MUGOT
Contrabassoon
FRÉDÉRIC CHASLINE
Horns
PATRICK PEIGNIER
ANDREA CESARI
DIDIER FAVRE
BERTRAND RAQUET
LAURENT BETH
DAVID PAUVERT
Trumpets
MATTHIAS PERSSON
GÉRALD ROLLAND
SAMUEL TUPIN
RÉMY LABARTHE
Trombones
JEAN-YVES MONIER
GILLES GONNEAU
LUDOVIC MILHIET
Tuba
FLORIAN WIELGOSIK
Timpani & Percussions
Julien Bourgeois
Mathieu Draux
Antoine Lardeau
Noé Ferro
Harp
SOPHIA STECKELER
STAGE STAFF
Stage director
Xavier Laforge
Main stage manager
Elisabetta Acella
Stage manager
Jérôme CHABREYRIE
Lighting manager
Ferxel Fourgon
Surtitling manager
Sarah Caussé
Children's stage managers
Charline Amayenc
Laëtitia Estiot
TECHNIQUE
Technical Director
Patrice Ayrault
Technical adviser
Nicola Schmid
Head machinists
Carlos Grenier
Olivier Kinoo
Deputy head machinists
Yann Moreau
Franck Satizelle
Decorative painter
Gérard Périchon
Stage technicians
Tom AYRAULT
Laurent BARCELO
Mathias CATALDI
Morgan DUBOUIL
Jean-François FARAUT
Jean-Philippe FARAUT
Axel GBEDO
Schama IMBERT
Frédéric LAUGIER
David M'BAPPÉ
Khalid NEGRAOUI
Chief electrician
Benoît Vigan
Deputy chief electrician
GAEL LE MAUX
Lighting technicians
Guillaume BREMOND
Grégory CAMPANELLA
Marine GENNA
Robin HEC
Felipe MANRIQUE
Laurent RENAUX
Pupitreurs
Dylan Castori
Grégory Masse
Head of audio/vidéo
Benjamin Grunler
Head prop maker
Audrey Moravec
Accessorists
Roland BIREN
Franck ESCOBAR
Charline TORRES
Emilie TRABONA
Head of costumes
Eliane Mezzanotte
deputy head of costumes
Emilie Bouneau
Assistant wardrobe manager
Stéphanie PUTEGNAT
Dressers
Roxane AVELLO
Christian CALVIERA
Carla CAPUANO
Nadine CIMBOLINI
Lili FORTIN
Edwige GALLI
Julie JACQUET
Karinne MARTIN
Florence RINALDINO
Lauriane SENET
Véronique TETU
Chief wig and make-up
Déborah Nelson
Deputy chief wig and make-up
Alicia Bovis
Hairdressers
Jean-Pierre GALLINA
Agnès LOZANO
Corinne PAULÉ
Make-up artists
Sophie KILIAN
Francine RICHARD
Patricia ROCHWERG
Natasha SANNA
Ticket office
Box office manager
Virginie Hautot
Deputy box office manager
Jenna Brethenoux
Ticket service
Ambre Gaillard
Dima Khabout
Assmaa Moussalli
Cavalleria Rusticana
Easter Sunday, a Sicilian village square.
Turiddu, whose mother keeps a tavern in a Sicilian fishing village, was once engaged to Lola. But when Turiddu left to for the army Lola married Alfio, a carter. To console himself, when he returned from the army, Turiddu seduced and then married Santuzza. After a short period of happiness Turiddu’s love for her began to fade and his flame for Lola was rekindled.
Prelude
Turiddu is supposed to be in the neighbouring town buying wine for his mother, but this is just a pretext to join Lola during Alfio’s absence. Turiddu is heard serenading her in the distance (Siciliana “O Lola”).
One act
Dawn.
The curtain rises on the village square. We see the church and Mamma Lucia’s tavern.
The villagers sing the beauty of the dawn and its promise of love (Introductory Chorus “Gli aranci olezzano”).
Santuzza enters the tavern, very worried. She is looking for Turiddu who was seen near the house of Alfio and Lola. Lucia is not very cooperative (Scene “Dite, mamma Lucia”).
Alfio boasts about his profession and his faithful wife. The villagers join him in his enthusiasm (Alfio’s Scene with Chorus “Il cavallo scalpita”). Lucia praises his good humour; Alfio asks her for some wine. Lucia replies that Turiddu has in fact gone to a nearby town to fetch some more. Alfio is surprised and mentions that Turiddu had been seen near his cottage that morning. Santuzza gestures to Lucia to keep silent. The Alleluia and the Regina cœli ring out from the church and everyone goes off for the Easter service, except Santuzza and Lucia (Scene and Prayer “Beato voi, compar Alfio / Regina cœli / Inneggiamo”). Left alone with her daughter-in-law Lucia asks her why she bade her to remain silent. Santuzza confesses that Turiddu has rejected her and still loves Lola. Lucia is devastated and runs off to church to pray for God’s help for the young couple (Romance and Scene “Voi lo sapete, o mamma”).
Turiddu enters. He is surprised to see that Santuzza is not in church. He pretends that he has just returned from town, but Santuzza tells him that Alfio saw him in the village. He becomes angry at her accusations. After denying them he warns her not to become jealous (Scene “Tu qui, Santuzza?”).
Lola wanders in, completely untroubled, asking them if they have seen Alfio. She is surprised that they are not at church. She responds with irony to Santuzza’s insinuations, and she enters the church (Lola’s Ritornello “Fior di gaggiolo”).
Santuzza desperately tries to win back Turiddu’s love, but only succeeds in making him more angry. Finally he pushes her violently to the ground and dashes into the church, cursed by Santuzza (Duet “Ah! lo vedi”).
Alfio appears, worried at arriving late for mass. Santuzza reveals to him that Lola is having an affair with Turiddu. Alfio swears to seek bloody revenge (Duet “Oh! il Signore vi manda / Comare Santa”).
The faithful leave the church. Lucia walks across the stage and goes into the tavern (Symphonic Intermezzo).
The villagers return to their homes. Turiddu calls out to Lola, who is looking for Alfio, and invites her and the villagers to join him in a glass of wine at the tavern. He raises a toast to everyone, but his malicious “To love” is aimed at Lola (Scene, Chorus and Toast “A casa, a casa / Viva il vino spumeggiante”).
Alfio joins the joyful crowd, but refuses to drink with Turiddu. Sensing that there will be trouble some of the women move away. The two rivals defy each other. According to tradition Turiddu bites Alfio’s ear, a sign that he accepts Alfio’s challenge to a duel. Alfio heads off to the fields. Turiddu bids farewell to his mother and asks her to treat Santuzza as her daughter if he does not return. He runs off, leaving Lucia in despair. Santuzza enters and throws her arms around Lucia, while a woman cries out that Turiddu has been killed (Finale “A voi tutti salute / Mamma, quel vino è generoso”).
Gianni schicchi
Florence, 1299.
Buoso Donati, a wealthy man, has just died. His relatives gather round his death bed, vying with each other to appear as the most grief-stricken, but the audience soon realisesthat what really interests them are the contents of his will. Among those present are Buoso’s brother-in-law Betto, his cousin Simone with his wife Ciesca and their son Marco, his nephew Gherardo, the nephew’s wife Nella and their son Gherardino, his cousin Zita (called the Old Woman) and her nephew Rinuccio. They all frantically search for the precious document. It is found by Rinuccio, but before reading it to the gathering he makes his aunt consent to his marriage with Lauretta, the penniless daughter of Gianni Schicchi. The aunt agrees, as the expected inheritance will guarantee a secure future for him. A happy Rinuccio sends the young Gherardino to fetch Schicchi and his daughter Lauretta.
However, the contents of the will come as a complete shock to the relatives when it is read out to them: Buoso has bequeathed his fortune to a monastery (“Dunque era vero”). Simone, who is now the head of the family and who was once the mayor of the neighbouring city of Fucecchio, tries unsuccessfully to find a loophole that would invalidate the will. Rinuccio then suggests that they ask Schicchi for advice, knowing he is a wily and intelligent man. But his family shows their contempt for this newcomer of peasant origins, at the same time telling Rinuccio to forget the idea of marrying Lauretta. Rinuccio defends Schicchi and castigates the narrow-mindedness of the Florentine aristocracy: does the capital of Tuscany not owe its splendour also to men of peasant backgrounds, such as Giotto, Arnolfo and the Medici (“Avete torto... Firenze è come un’albero fiorito”)? Schicchi and Lauretta arrive, but confronted by the hostility of the Donati, Schicchi pretends to leave. Only when Lauretta pleads with him (“O mio babbino caro”) does he agree to stay and scrutinize the will. Unfortunately, Schicchi is no more successful than Simone. However, after first sending his daughter outside to avoid being involved in his stratagem, he promises to help the Donati to find a way out of their dilemma.
After establishing that no one in the city knows that Buoso is dead, Schicchi has his body removed to the adjoining room. Doctor Spinelloccio arrives. Schicchi quickly hides behind the bed curtains and, mimicking Buoso’s voice, declares that he is feeling better. Spinelloccio is reassured and departs. Schicchi then unveils his plan: disguised as Buoso he will dictate a new will to the notary that will make everyone happy (“Si corre dal notaio”). The cousins tell him their respective wishes. But then they hear the bell tolling: has the news of Buoso’s death spread? To everyone’s relief it turns out that the bell is tolling for someone else’s death. The cousins agree over the various pieces of land, but squabble over the most treasured possessions: the mule (“the best in Tuscany”), the house and the mills at Signa. Unable to come to an agreement on these, they agree to share their revenues and to let Schicchi handle the affair. Zita, Ciesca and Nella help Schicchi to change into Buoso’s clothes (“Spogliati, bambolino”). He climbs into the dead man’s bed, but not before warning his accomplices of the terrible punishment inflicted in Florence on those who falsify wills (“Prima un avertimento!... Addio, Firenze”).
The notary arrives and the conversation begins in Latin. Schicchi declares any prior will null and void and starts to dictate the new one, the first terms of which satisfy everyone, but when it comes to the contentious chapter concerning the mule, the house and the mills, Schicchi orders that these be left to “my devoted friend Gianni Schicchi”. Buoso’s relatives have been tricked, but they are forced to remain quiet, especially when Schicchi reminds them in an aside of the penalties they incur if their ruse is discovered. When the notary has left, after the death of the fake Buoso, the Donati go on a frenzied looting of the house. Schicchi chases them out of what is now his property.
Meanwhile, on the balcony, Lauretta and Rinuccio freely express their love. Nothing can now prevent their marriage, as they have received a respectable dowry (“Lauretta mia”). Schicchi is moved by the sight of the two lovers. He turns to the audience and tells them that he concocted his scheme so that the lovebirds’ love could blossom and, even if Dante has condemned him to hell, he hopes the audience will forgive him in light of “extenuating circumstances”.
Translated by Mary McCabe
Speranza Scappucci
Have you worked at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo before and what do you associate with this theatre?
This is my first time at this theater and in this city!
You will be conducting two very popular one-act operas but not in their usual context (Cavalleria without Pagliacci, Schicchi without the other two operas from the Trittico). Do you feel this combination might shed light on things that we did not realise about these pieces before?
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera that stands by itself perfectly even without another opera pro-grammed with it. Whereas Gianni Schicchi is clearly part of the Trittico, and might appear to make less sense if taken out of context. But with its beauty and incredible dramaturgy it can easily live on its own, or become part of a different dittico, paired, like in our case, with a Cavalleria.
What do you see as your main job when conducting this repertoire?
When I approach a score, whether it is a bel canto, Verdi or verismo score, my task is always to try and be as faithful as possible to the author’s intentions. There is such precision of indication in the music of composers like Puccini or Mascagni that all we need to do is to respect their writing. For me, the orchestra is always part of the drama, also when it plays “just” a triplet figure under an aria like “Casta Diva” in Bellini’s Norma. Of course, in Puccini or Mascagni the orchestration is fuller and heavier. But it is my goal to make sure that the orchestra part and the vocal lines become a single musical texture, which reflects the inten-tions of the composer.
What are the challenges for the singers and the orchestra players in this repertoire?
For the singers it is not to push their voices to the limit. And in order to help them achieve this, I, the conductor, must take care of the orchestra and make it play with the necessary drama and colours, but always without overpowering the soloists.
Pietro Mascagni
Cavalleria rusticana
A young composer on the cusp of his career
Pietro Mascagni had long caressed the dream of a creating a full-scale, pioneering opera that would make him the worthy successor to Giuseppe Verdi: Guglielmo Ratcliff, based on a play by Heinrich Heine. But in reality the young musician’s life was a far cry from his grandiose ambitions. After failing to obtain his diploma in composition at the Milan Conservatory, he ended up in Cerignola, a large municipality in the province of Foggia (Puglia), where he exercised the rather unexciting profession of director of the local harmony. In 1888 Ratcliff was almost completed when, mainly due to financial pressures, the composer decided to enter the competition organized by the Milanese publisher Edoardo Sonzogno for the composition of a one-act opera. After his ambitious Ratcliff project, this was a complete turnaround. For the libretto he chose a short story by Giovanni Verga who for about ten years had been a main exponent in Italy of the verismo, a literary movement similar to French naturalism, that depicted in almost real-time the contemporary daily life and heightened passions in deprived villages. Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria rusticana [Rustic Chivalry], adapted from the short story of the same title published in 1880, was presented in January 1884 at the Teatro Carignano in Turin, with Eleonora Duse in the role of Santuzza.
The librettist, Giovanni Targioni Tozetti (assisted in the final stages of his work by Guido Menasci), complied with the composer’s demand to write “a libretto closely linked to Verga’s action, simply adding some lyric pieces to clothe the nudity of the tragic action”. Hence certain passages appeared which, instead of precipitating the action into a frenetic race that was the verismo approach, served more as a background, just as Verdi or Puccini could have done: the introductory chorus “Gli aranci olezzano”, Alfio’s entrance aria “Il cavallo scalpita”, the “Regina cœli”, the peasant chorus exiting the church “A casa, a casa”, or Turiddu’s brindisi “Viva il vino spumeggiante”. Targioni Tozetti interspersed these character pieces with much more violent arias, as though he were caressing the listener so as to subsequently better brutalize him.
Mascagni was totally satisfied with the poem, but nonetheless added some minor, albeit significative, adjustments. He replaced the hero’s name, Torello, with a more Sicilian one, Turiddu, and, above all, imposed the brutal and swift ending instead of the more classic one imagined by Targioni Tozetti. It was also Mascagni who, having enthusiastically discovered poetry in dialect, added Turiddu’s siciliana in the middle of the prelude, before the curtain rises.
Claire Delamarche, translated by Mary McCabe.
The success of an innovative score
Driven by the urge to win the Sonzogno competition, and to avoid being accused of Wagnerism, Mascagni yielded to a certain tradition by respecting the usual vocal disposition (the tenor/soprano duo overshadowed by the lower voices) and allowing genuine arias for the characters.
Nonetheless, the forms of these arias were highly original, such as progressing without couplets nor repeats throughout the narrative, similar to the grand arias in Verdi’s most recent operas. Taking the lead from Verdi’s most innovative approach, Mascagni broke away from two centuries of Italian opera that opposed the action (the recitative) to the outpouring of emotions (the aria, where time stands still). Puccini merely followed suit, from Manon Lescaut (1893) onwards.
Around these arias Mascagni arranged lively and mobile recitatives that often flirt with the arioso and which, on a par with the arias, can attain the heights of dramatic violence (for example the relentless build-up in the confrontation between Turiddu and Santuzza (“Tu qui, Santuzza?”). To that effect he didn’t hesitate to use a no less expressive parlato, the climax of which is attained in the final line, cried out off-stage by an anonymous woman: “Hanno ammazzato compare Turiddu” [“They have murdered Master Turiddu”]. From all of this Mascagni reaps the benefits of his experimentations in Ratcliff. The power of the work stems from this alternation between character pieces and dramatic passages, separate, individual numbers and free-style scenes, lyrical outbursts that infuse the supple fabric of the dramatic narrative: alternating elements that, like a coil, contract then unfurl the drama.
The success of Cavalleria rusticana at the Sanzogno competition, followed by its premiere on 17 May 1890 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, came as a bombshell. Despite the hovering whiff of scandal, he was hailed a genius, a revelation. A complete unknown until then, the young composer from Livorno became an overnight celebrity.
The reasons for this general enthusiasm lie undoubtedly more in the subject than in the modernity of the musical language. For the first time opera gave voice to the nation’s lower classes, moreover in a Sicily far away from the places of Rome or Milan. In the years when cinematography was starting to appear, the daily life of a fishing village was there for all to see, and, despite the absence of any ethnographic consideration, this cardboard Sicily had a furiously authentic air about it. Primal emotions – love, jealousy, vengeance – were laid bare, with a spontaneity and a formidable efficacy. Mascagni revealed the supremacy of his art in the melodic invention, his handling of mass choruses and use of an orchestra that, as ecstatic as the sung melodies are, is omnipresent (the prelude and the symphonic Intermezzo are pure marvels of sensuality and emotion). A fantastic revenge for the composer to whom the Milan Conservatory had long ago refused a composition diploma.
Claire Delamarche, translated by Mary McCabe
The Triptych
If Giacomo Puccini produced only ten operas (here we count the Triptych as an ensemble), in fact eight if we exclude his now forgotten early works, i.e. Le villi (1884) and Edgar (1889), it is because the creative process for each one was incredibly long, as the composer was determined to offer renewal and to distance himself from his previous work. In effect, what does his portrayal of the golden era of Paris – powdered wigs, but oh so cruel – depicted in Manon Lescaut (1893) have in common with his poor but kind-hearted Paris of La bohème (1896), or the majestic Rome of the Verdi-style drama Tosca (1900) with the pulsating and colourful Japan of Madama Butterfly (1904) or the picturesque vivacity of the musical western La fanciulla del West (1910)? “Rinnovarsi o morire?” (a formula borrowed from Gabriele D’Annunzio) wrote Puccini in July 1911 to Carlo Clausetti, a director of the publisher Ricordi, when appraising La fanciulla: “Renew or die? The harmony of today and the orchestra have changed [...]. I vow to myself again, if I find the subject, to always do better on the path I have chosen, determined not to remain in the rear-guard.” The Triptych would be the fulfilment of this motto. From the very moment of Tosca’s premiere on 14 January 1900 at Rome Opera House Puccini began reflecting on a project that would completely break away from this irrepressible drama that stretched over three acts, tense as a bowstring from the first to the last notes. Noting the success of a one-act opera presented at the same Teatro Costanzi, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana (1890), he conceived the idea of a triptych of contrasting one-act operas. He pursued this idea after the premiere of Madama Butterfly when, immersed in Dante’s Divine Comedy, he was inspired to draw from it the themes of his three miniature operas.
In the end the project fell through, but after attending a performance in Paris in 1912 of Didier Gold’s play La Houppelande, Puccini returned to the idea of a one-act opera, Il tabarro. It was only when this opera was almost completed that his triptych project resurfaced. Puccini then immediately composed Suor Angelica (late 1916-early 1917), and Gianni Schicchi (July 1917-20 April 1918), forming an ensemble that went from darkness to light, from tragic to buffoonery via the sentimental. The Triptych was premiered on 14 December 1918 at the New York Metropolitan Opera, conducted by Roberto Moranzoni. The first two operas received mixed reviews, only Gianni Schicchi was unreservedly acclaimed. The composer was deeply affected by this reaction as Suor Angelica (an all-female opera set in a monastery near Siena) was particularly dear to him. The following 11 January, Rome Opera House gave the ensemble its European premiere, and this time it was a resounding success.
Claire Delamarche, translated by Mary McCabe
Gianni Schicchi
It was the librettist Giovacchino Forzano who, supposedly, drew Puccini’s attention to the charming episode of Gianni Schicchi, from Canto XXX of Dante’s Inferno – unless the idea came from the maestro himself, who was an avid reader of the Florentine poet. Nevertheless, after the dark impassioned drama of Il tabarro Puccini was delighted to plunge into this universe of comedy that presented a certain challenge for him as, except for brief passages in Tosca or La bohème, he had never approached comedy.
In many ways Schicchi stands in the wake of Verdi’s final opera, Falstaff (1893): a potbellied, cunning character played by a baritone, a young amorous couple (tenor and soprano) struggling against an entourage preventing them from pursuing their love affair, lively and exciting music, a happy ending followed by a teasing lesson in morality, as well as certain detailed elements to explain a word or set to music the joyous cacophony of the Donati superimposing their voices. However, Schicchi is a harsher mockery of the characters’ cupidity, not without a macabre side: everything occurs in the presence of a real corpse (Gianni takes its place in the deathbed, without even changing the bedsheets!).
The density and coherence of the opera are striking, the result of its short duration, unity of time and place and the fact that the nine living members of the Donati family are on stage from curtain rise to curtain fall. Its uniformity is also structured in the music, with its relentless, unwavering binary rhythm, and a series of recurring motifs, each one corresponding to a specific semantic content. Indeed, as soon as the roar of laughter that opened the brief prelude ends, the orchestra takes up a strongly accentuated, phony lamentation theme that continues when the curtain rises on the phony grieving of the dead man’s relatives. This theme is played almost constantly until the will is read out. Then, in the concertato where the deceased’s relatives discover that Buoso hasn’t left them a penny (“Dunque era vero”) the theme transforms into a motif of fury, an onslaught of high notes from the woodwinds and the dissonant harmony. Every now and then, until the very end of the opera, this theme will reappear.
Another example is Rinuccio’s aria “Firenze è come un’albero fiorito”. Puccini inserts it here “as a stornello” (a popular Tuscan folk song): the young man enumerates the beauties of Florence and glorifies Schicchi’s merits, one of the Tuscan capital’s most remarkable citizens. Between the first two stanzas, and in the conclusion, we observe an unexpectedly lyrical orchestral theme, soon to become the score’s most famous aria “O mio babbino caro”, where Lauretta begs her father not to destroy her love affair with Rinuccio. In the second stanza of this aria are to be noted the orchestra’s chromatic movements depicting the waters of the Arno. Schicchi’s wily character or the love of Rinuccio and Lauretta also have their own themes, as does even the city of Florence, where, as Schicchi’s suave melisma informs them, forgers of wills risk exile or other punishments. Later, in the scene with the notary, Schicchi repeats the same melisma in an aside, so as to discourage the flouted inheritors from revealing his stratagem.
Puccini strews discordant touches in the harmony that, given the predominance of the wind section, offers a grotesque spicy character to certain passages (when the cousins lose their tempers there is even an uproar).
Confronted by a family that often functions as a chamber choir, faced with two lovers whose lyricism contrasts sharply with the general atmosphere of trepidation, the colourful title role has the lion’s share with a quasi infinite vocal palette: grotesque when mimicking Buoso’s voice in front of the doctor or the notary, remarkably assertive when he reveals his plan in the aria “Si corre dal notaio”. He can also appear grumpy, sneering, smooth-talking… When he addresses us, the audience, after the curtain falls, he even adopts a spoken voice: a stroke of genius on the part of Puccini, his response to the final virtuoso fugue in Falstaff, for which he had no other choice but to do the exact opposite. All we can do is forgive him, as Gianni Schicchi exhorts us to, given that the Donati family he duped are despicable characters.
Claire Delamarche, translated by Mary McCabe
Galerie photos
