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This event is scheduled to begin at 7pm GMT on Friday 8 January 2021. The performance will last approximately 2 hours 5 minutes.
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The Royal Opera performs David McVicar's spectacular, almost cinematic production of Umberto Giordano's gripping opera set in late 18th-century Paris, with Jonas Kaufmann, Eva-Maria Westbroek and Željko Lučić in the lead roles. Beautiful, historically-informed sets and costumes by Robert Jones and Jenny Tiramani evoke the profound social changes of pre- and post-revolutionary France.
Giordano's Andrea Chénier, with libretto by Puccini's regular collaborator Luigi Illica, is loosely based on the life and tragic death of the French poet André Chénier, who was executed during the French Revolution. The premiere on 28 March 1896 was a great success, and the opera became one of the most popular examples of the verismo (literally, 'realist') movement in Italian opera.
Giordano perfectly captures contrasting atmospheres through music including an elegant Gavotte (Act I) and the popular revolutionary songs 'La Carmagnole' and the 'Marseillaise'. Not surprisingly, the tenor protagonist gets some fine solos, including Act I's ardent aria 'Un dì, all'azzurro spazio', and Act IV's nostalgic 'Come un bel dì di maggio'. But Maddalena and Gérard also have wonderful arias: the former's impassioned 'La mamma morta', and the latter's tormented 'Nemico della patria?' as he wrestles with his conscience in Act III.
Recovery Campaign
Live performance is a shared experience, and our audiences are at the heart of what we do on our stages, backstage, online, in cinemas and in our communities. This year’s global pandemic has affected all arts organisations across the world. We have lost £3 in every £5 of our income, and any Government loan will take us only part of the way. We need your help to bring artists back to our stages. Please consider making a donation to the Royal Opera House Recovery Campaign.
Streaming generously supported by The Foyle Foundation.