Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier è un’opera in italian di Umberto Giordano, rappresentata per la prima volta nel 1896.
Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet André Chénier (1762–1794), who was executed during the French Revolution. The character Carlo Gérard is partly based on Jean-Lambert Tallien, a leading figure in the Revolution. It remains popular with audiences, though less frequently performed than in the first half of the 20th century. One reason for its survival in the repertoire is the lyrical-dramatic music provided by Giordano for the tenor lead, which gives a talented singer opportunities to demonstrate his skills and flaunt his voice. Giuseppe Borgatti's triumph in the title role at the first performance immediately propelled him to the front rank of Italian opera singers. He went on to become Italy's greatest Wagnerian tenor, rather than a verismo-opera specialist.
opera
Trama di Andrea Chénier
Palace of the Countess of Coigny Servants are preparing the Palace for a ball. Carlo Gérard, a servant, is filled with indignation at the sight of his aged father, worn out by long years of heavy labour for their noble masters. Only the Countess' daughter Maddalena escapes his hatred, since he is besotted with her. Maddalena jokes with Bersi, her mulatta servant girl. The Countess rebukes Maddalena for dallying around when she should be dressing for the ball. The guests arrive. Among them is an Abbé who has come from Paris with news about the poor decisions of King Louis XVI's government. Also among the guests is the dashing and popular poet, Andrea Chénier. The soirée begins with a "pastoral" performance. A chorus of shepherds and shepherdesses sing idealised rustic music and a ballet mimics a rural love story in stately court fashion. The Countess asks Chénier to improvise a poem but he says that inspiration has abandoned him. Maddalena asks Chénier to recite a verse, but he refuses her also, saying that "Fantasy is not commanded on cue." The laughter of the girls draws the Countess' attention, and Maddalena explains mockingly that the Muse of poetry is absent from the party. Chénier now becomes angry and improvises a poem about the suffering of the poor, ending with a tirade against those in power in church and state, shocking the guests. Maddalena begs forgiveness. The guests dance a gavotte, which is interrupted by a crowd of ragged people who ask for food, Gérard ushers…
Estratto dalla sezione Synopsis dell’articolo Wikipedia — testo rilasciato con licenza CC BY-SA 4.0. Leggi la trama completa →
Cast e personaggi di Andrea Chénier
14 personaggi documentati da Wikidata con indicazione del registro vocale:
- personPietro Fléville (bass)
- personRoucher (baritone)
- personSchmidt (baritone)
- personFouquier-Tinville (baritone)
- personMathieu (buffo baritone)
- personDumas (bass)
- personAndrea Chénier (tenor)
- personThe Abbé (tenor)
- personThe Incredible (tenor)
- personMaddalena di Coigny (soprano)
- personCarlo Gérard (baritone)
- personBersi (mezzo-soprano)
- personLa comtesse di Coigny (mezzo-soprano)
- personMadelon (mezzo-soprano)
Libretto di Andrea Chénier
Il libretto è scritto da Luigi Illica. L’opera è classificata nel genere verismo, opera.
Opere contemporanee
Rappresentate nel decennio a cavallo del 1896, altre 6 opere del repertorio archiviato di compositori diversi:
- I Medici — Ruggero Leoncavallo (1893)
- La damnation de Faust — Hector Berlioz (1893)
- La Navarraise — Jules Massenet (1894)
- Thaïs — Jules Massenet (1894)
- The Beginning of a Romance — Leoš Janáček (1894)
- Frédégonde — Camille Saint-Saëns (1895)
Altre opere di Umberto Giordano
- Mala vita (1892)
- Regina Diaz (1894)
- Fedora (1898)
- Siberia (1903)
- Mese mariano (1910)
- Madame Sans-Gêne (1915)
- La cena delle beffe (1924)
- Il re (1929)
Dati sull’opera provenienti da Wikidata (CC0, pubblico dominio).