Zita, Ciesca, and Marco wordlessly keen when words are added we learn Buoso’s name, and that he’s Simone’s cousin, and Rinuccio’s uncle. Violas join in as the curtain rises on the bed-chamber of Buoso Donati, a wealthy citizen of Florence in 1299. The “sighing” figure, now slowed down to a dirge-like tempo, is given to a solo bassoon. A “funereal” drum is heard, and will continue throughout the opening scene. Which, within a few bars, is joined by what can only be described as a “perky” idea from the high winds. The first is a very fast “sighing” idea first heard from the violins, but is soon taken over by the oboes and flutes. There are two “themes” you should latch on to, if you can. Strings and winds, fortissimo, swoosh up 3 octaves and then descend in accented chords, with trumpets and horns joining in: it’s certainly frenetic – in the 7 th measure Puccini adds the direction tumultuoso – and, since we know the opera is a comedy, we might assume the frenzy is a joyful one but listen out for its return. The cast: The corpse of the wealthy Buoso Donati Gianni Schicchi Lauretta, his daughter Zita, Buoso’s cousin Rinuccio, Zita’s nephew, in love with Lauretta Gherardo, Buoso’s newphew Nella, his wife Gherardino, their 7-year-old son Betto, from Signa, Buoso’s impoverished brother-in-law Simone, Buoso’s cousin Marco, his son La Ciesca, Marco’s wife Maestro Spinelloccio, Buoso’s doctor Amantio di Nicolao, a Notary Pinellino, a shoemaker Guccio, a dyer – these last two are to witness the signing of the will.
Please note, no discounts apply for this concert.The orchestra for Giacomo Puccini’s only comedy is a standard one: Piccolo 2 Flutes 2 oboes English Horn 2 B-flat clarinets Bass Clarinet in B-flat 2 Bassoons 4 Horns in F 3 Trumpets in F 3 Trombones Bass Trombone Timpani Percussion (consisting of Triangle Snare Drum Bass Drum and Cymbals) Celesta Harp Strings off-stage is a low Church Bell. Gianni Schicchi will be performed in Italian with English surtitles. To set the scene, Domingo and the Orchestra provide some of opera’s most glorious orchestral intermezzos. We’ve got a huge star to prove it, too: the one and only Sir Bryn Terfel, supported by some of the very best young singers in Europe today from the European Opera Centre for this dramatised performance. A sparking, screwball tale of scheming, bickering relatives, a lawyer and of young love, it’s a comedy with a huge heart. “O mio babbino caro.” No-one wrote a lovesong quite like Puccini, but in the farcical world of Gianni Schicchi, nothing is quite as it seems. Ponchielli Dance of the Hours (La Gioconda) Mascagni Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) Mascagni Intermezzo sinfonico (L’amico Fritz) Puccini Intermezzo (Manon Lescaut, Act III)
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