Skillfully combining fictional characters and historical figures, Andrea Chénier, by the Italian composer Umberto Giordano, is a pinnacle of the “verismo” opera repertoire. This means that the librettos are based on real events rather than myths or legends, a trend that was highly favored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In this work, the events are set during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution when the guillotine claimed the lives of those deemed merely suspect by the Sans Culottes, whether they were men or women, elderly or young.
On the stage of the Opéra de Nice, André Chénier will declare his love to Madeleine, confront his rival Gérard, a fervent disciple of Robespierre, who will have him brought to trial under a false accusation before the Revolutionary Tribunal, which generally issued only one verdict: death. “The Revolution has no need for poets,” the public prosecutor Fouquier-Tinville will declare during the trial.
In the condemned cell, Chénier will nevertheless compose one final poem, perhaps his most beautiful, to proclaim his passion…
Umberto Giordano imbued his music with all the power required to evoke the terrifying whirlwind of an extraordinary era, along with the sensitivity and finesse needed to bring exceptional beings to life.
This music will be delivered by the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of its music director György G. Rath, complemented by the voices of the Nice Opera Choir led by Giulio Magnanini.
The role of Andrea Chénier will be performed by Luciano Ganci (tenor), that of Madeleine de Coigny by Cellia Costea (soprano), while Carlos Almaguer (baritone) will portray the character of Gérard.
