Andrea Chénier (1985)
Live from ROH 1985. Giordano's Andrea Chenier is one of the greatest of verismo operas, full of heart-stopping big tunes and powerful emotional situations. If it is not as well-known as it should be, it is because in summary it sounds a little too like Puccini's Tosca: there is a tussle between political opponents over a woman, an attempt to save a condemned man, a tenor aria about writing poetry on the eve of execution. The difference is that Gerard (Giorgio Zancanaro) is not a villain like Scarpia, he is an idealist whom the French Revolution has betrayed as much as it has his rival the poet Chenier (Placido Domingo). His temptation to abuse his power to seduce the virtuous Maddalena (Anna Tomowa-Sintow) is a momentary one, though its consequences are terrible. There is a streak of post-Wagnerian decadence in much of this--Maddalena is at least as much in love with death as she is with Chenier, and the final love duet has a deeply sinister aspect. -- From Amazon.co.uk
Directors: Lamberto Puggelli, Humphrey Burton.
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Plácido Domingo as Andrea Chénier |
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Anna Tomowa-Sintow as Maddalena di Coigny |
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Giorgio Zancanaro as Carlo Gérard |
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Jonathan Summers as Roucher |
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Cynthia Buchan as Bersi |
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John Dobson as Incredible |
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Roderick Earle as Dumas |
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Eric Garrett as Gaoler |
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John Gibbs as Major Domo |
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Patricia Johnson as Contessa di Coigny |
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Rodney Macann as Mathieu |
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Alexander Oliver as Abbé |
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Gordon Sandison as Fléville |
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Anny Schlemm as Madelon |
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Julius Rudel as Conductor |
| Directing | Lamberto Puggelli | Director |
| Sound | Umberto Giordano | Original Music Composer |
| Writing | Luigi Illica | Writer |
| Sound | Julius Rudel | Music Director |
| Directing | Humphrey Burton | Director |
