PERFORMANCE DETAIL

Opera in four acts from 1896
Libretto by Luigi Illica (1857-1919)

 

The story of the most famous opera by Umberto Giordano tells of the romantic love between a young noblewoman Maddalena and a progressive poet Andrea Chénier, who find themselves, thanks to intrigues and false accusations, in the whirlwind of the French revolution. Chénier, who is based on a real historical character (he died at the guillotine in 1794, at the age of 32), felt the need for a change in society and the unsustainability of the privileges of the aristocracy. He could not, however, identify with the twisted morality of the mob in their febrile search for the enemy. This work is a follow up to another of Giordano’s operas, Fédora, which we presented in 2011.