Andrea Chénier, Opera by U. Giordano
Shortly before the turn of the 20th century, verismo was in vogue: rapid action and high drama unfolding in real time before audiences’ eyes. In this thrilling tradition comes Andrea Chénier, the four-act drama by Umberto Giordano. While it is not performed as often as other verismo classics, such as Tosca, Pagliacci, or Cavalleria rusticana, the work still enjoys regular revivals, mainly thanks to the irresistible vocal parts of the hero, which have helped propel many a young tenor to fame. Andrea Chénier was first performed at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 28 March 1896. This season, Vienna State Opera is taking a fresh look at the rousing story.
The libretto by famous opera writer Luigi Illica explores the life of French poet André Chénier at the watershed transition from the Ancient Régime to the French Revolution. He enters a love triangle with Maddalena, the daughter of the Countess of Coigny, and Carlo Gérard, a servant who resents the aristocracy but has loved Maddalena since childhood. As the French Revolution takes its course and descends into the bloody, execution-fuelled Reign of Terror, the three characters cross paths when Chénier faces a tribunal for his connections to the Ancient Régime. Gérard, now an important figure in the Revolution, has set the poet up for punishment, not knowing how much Maddalena loves him. Upon realising the unbreakable bond between the heiress and the poet, Gérard sets out to let Chénier off, but revolutionary tribunals have a way of their own, and the escape path for the two lovers is getting narrower by the minute.
Andrea Chénier rests on a melodramatic story that unfolds in real time, but the true show-stoppers are Giordano’s arias and duets. Chénier’s full-throated arias and his passionate duets with Maddalena are the stuff of magic. Gérard’s pensive baritone parts are also not to be missed, as they offer a unique look into the character’s inner world and his turn of faith. Wiener Staatsoper revives a special verismo gem that is seldom seen these days.