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27-591: The same play by Scribe and Legouvé which served as a basis for Cilea's librettist was also used by at least three different librettists for operas carrying exactly the same name, Adriana Lecouvreur , and created by three different composers. The first was an opera in three acts by Tomaso Benvenuti (premiered in Milan in 1857). The next two were lyric dramas in 4 acts by Edoardo Vera (to a libretto by Achille de Lauzières) which premiered in Lisbon in 1858, and by Ettore Perosio (to

54-450: A few times at that, but requires great vocal power and is challenging to tackle on a dramatic level – especially during the work's so-called "Recitation" and death scene. Famous Adrianas of the past 75 years have included Claudia Muzio , Clara Petrella , Magda Olivero , Renata Tebaldi , Carla Gavazzi, Leyla Gencer , Montserrat Caballé , Raina Kabaivanska , Renata Scotto , Mirella Freni , and Joan Sutherland . Angela Gheorghiu tackled

81-588: A headstrong attack on the Princess, who swears to have her revenge. A room in Adriana's house It's Adriana's name day, and Michonnet is waiting in her home for her to awaken. Adriana is consumed with anger and jealousy. Her colleagues come to visit, bringing her gifts and trying to persuade her to return to the stage. One of these gifts is a diamond necklace, recovered by Michonnet, which Adriana had pawned to help pay off Maurizio's debts. A small casket arrives. It contains

108-531: A libretto by his father), premiered in Genoa in 1889. After Cilea created his own Adriana , however, none of those by others were performed anymore and they remain largely unknown today. The opera is based on the life of the French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur (1692–1730). While there are some actual historical figures in the opera, the episode it recounts is largely fictional; its death-by-poisoned-violets plot device

135-612: A moment, she becomes lucid again ("Ecco la luce"), then dies. Notes Tomaso Benvenuti Tomaso Benvenuti (also spelled Tommasso and Tommaso ; 4 February 1838 – 26 February 1906) was a nineteenth-century Italian composer of opera . He was born in Cavarzere in the Veneto (at the time part of the Austrian Empire ) and died in Rome at the age of 68. Benvenuti is known to have written

162-400: A note from Maurizio, along with the violets Adriana had given him at the theater. Adriana, hurt, kisses the flowers ("Poveri fiori") and throws them into the fire. Maurizio enters, hoping to marry her. They embrace, and he notices that she's shaking. She quickly becomes deranged, and Michonnet and Maurizio - who'd presented the violets to the Princess - realize that Adriana has been poisoned. For

189-451: A performance starring Lina Cavalieri and Caruso). It had a run of only three performances that season, however, due in large part to Caruso's ill-health. The opera was not performed again at the Met until a new production was mounted in 1963, with Renata Tebaldi in the title role. That 1963 production continued to be remounted at the same theatre, with differing casts, for the next few decades. It

216-460: Is often signalled as verismo opera's least realistic. It is often condemned as being among the most confusing texts ever written for the stage, and cuts that have often been made in performance only make the story harder to follow. The running time of a typical modern performance is about 135 minutes (excluding intervals). The opera premiered at the Teatro Lirico , Milan, on 6 November 1902, with

243-691: Is particularly known for his portrayals of characters from the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . In 2015, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for his artistic achievements. He was born in Czechowice-Dziedzice in southern Poland and initially trained in Katowice , both Upper Silesia. He studied under Sena Jurinac in Switzerland. His first engagements were with

270-422: Is with Duclos. Adriana enters and learns that Maurizio isn't a soldier at all, but the disguised Count of Saxony himself. He tells Adriana the assignation was political, and that they must arrange the escape of a woman who is in hiding nearby. Adriana trusts him and agrees to help. During the intermezzo that follows, the house is darkened, and Adriana tells the Princess that this is her opportunity to escape. However,

297-794: The Linz State Theatre from 1992 to 1997, after which he became a regular member of Zürich Opera . One of his early roles in Zürich was that of Matteo in Richard Strauss' Arabella (with Cheryl Studer in the title role). Between 2004 and 2006, Beczała made several major international house debuts. In April 2004, he made his debut at London's Royal Opera House as the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier , later returning in October of that year in

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324-448: The 'Judgement of Paris.' Adriana learns that the bracelet Michonnet found belongs to the Princess. Realizing that they are rivals for Maurizio's affection, the Princess and Adriana challenge each other. When the former pointedly suggests that Adriana should recite a scene from 'Ariadne Abandoned', the Prince asks instead for a scene from 'Phèdre'. Adriana uses the final lines of the text to make

351-539: The Abbé return. They have intercepted a letter from Duclos, in which she requests a meeting with Maurizio later that evening at the Prince's villa. The Prince, hoping to expose the tryst, decides to invite the entire troupe there after the performance. On receiving Duclos's letter, Maurizio cancels his appointment with Adriana, who in turn opts to join the Prince's party. A villa by the Seine The Princess de Bouillon, not

378-423: The actress Duclos (who was only acting as her proxy), is anxiously waiting for Maurizio ("Acerba voluttà, dolce tortura"). When Maurizio enters, she sees the violets and asks how he came by them. Maurizio presents them to her, but confesses that he no longer loves her. She deduces that he loves someone else, but soon she's forced to hide when the Prince and the Abbé suddenly arrive. Maurizio realizes that they think he

405-577: The complete songs of Karol Szymanowski . In 2018 Beczała was awarded the International Opera Awards – Best Singer. In 2018, Beczala signed an exclusive, multi-album contract with Pentatone . In the same year, he became the recipient of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis awarded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland for his distinguished contributions to

432-609: The following seven operas: Notes Sources Piotr Becza%C5%82a Piotr Beczała ( Polish pronunciation : [ˈpjɔtr bɛˈt͡ʂawa] ); born 28 December 1966) is a Polish operatic tenor with an international career based primarily in Europe and the United States. He has performed in the world's leading opera houses including Metropolitan Opera , La Scala , Gran Teatre del Liceu , Royal Opera House , Semperoper , Carnegie Hall , Teatro Real , Deutsche Oper Berlin and

459-410: The government has asked him to analyze. The couple host a reception, at which guests note the arrival of Michonnet and Adriana. The Princess thinks she recognizes the latter's voice, and announces that Maurizio has been wounded in a duel. Adriana faints. Soon afterwards, however, when Maurizio enters uninjured, Adriana is ecstatic. He sings of his war exploits ("Il russo Mencikoff"). A ballet is performed:

486-501: The others' praise with 'Io son l'umile ancella' ("I am the humble servant of the creative spirit"). Left alone with Adriana, Michonnet wants to express his love for her. However, Adriana explains that she already has a lover: Maurizio, a soldier of the Count of Saxony. Maurizio enters and declares his love for Adriana, 'La dolcissima effigie.' They agree to meet that night, and Adriana gives him some violets to put in his buttonhole. The Prince and

513-661: The role at the Royal Opera, London , in 2010 with Jonas Kaufmann as Maurizio. It was the first new production (directed by David McVicar) at the Royal Opera House since 1906. Angela Gheorghiu has reprised the role with great critical acclaim, in the same production, at the Vienna State Opera, when the opera was presented for the very first time on its stage (2014), Paris (2015) and again in London, when she celebrated 25 years on

540-407: The stage of the Royal Opera House and 150 performances with the company (2017) The Met presented a production new to that house by David McVicar on 31 December 2018, with Anna Netrebko in the title role, Piotr Beczała as Maurizio and Anita Rachvelishvili as the Princess de Bouillon. A recording of part of the opera's last act duet "No, più nobile", rearranged into a self-contained tenor aria,

567-807: The title role of Faust , then in June 2005 as the Duke in Rigoletto , and in September 2006, again in Faust . In November 2004, he made his San Francisco Opera and American debut as Lensky in Eugene Onegin . Beczała's La Scala debut came in January 2006 as the Duke in Rigoletto , the role in which he also made his Metropolitan Opera , New York, debut on December 19, 2006. In 2007, Beczała

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594-402: The two women are mutually suspicious, and the rescue attempt turns into a blazing quarrel before the Princess finally leaves. Michonnet, the stage manager, discovers a bracelet dropped by the Princess, which he gives to Adriana. The Hôtel de Bouillon The Princess is desperate to discover the identity of her rival. The Prince, who has an interest in chemistry, is storing a powerful poison that

621-631: The well-known verismo soprano Angelica Pandolfini  [ it ] in the title role, Enrico Caruso in the role of Maurizio, and the lyric baritone Giuseppe De Luca as Michonnet. The opera was first performed in the United States by the San Carlo Opera Company on January 5, 1907, at the French Opera House in New Orleans with Tarquinia Tarquini in the title role. It gained its Metropolitan Opera premiere on 18 November 1907 (in

648-940: Was awarded the Echo Klassik Prize in the Male Singer of the Year category. In the same year, he received the Fryderyk Award conferred by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry in the Artist of the Year category as well as the Opera News Award presented by the American classical music magazine Opera News . Beczała's commercial recordings include a Farao Classics recording of La traviata (as Alfredo Germont), and

675-641: Was awarded the Munich Opera Festival Prize. In 2012/2013, Beczała reprised his role as the Duke in Michael Mayer 's new " Rat Pack " production of Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera. Following a hostile reception from the loggionisti at the opening night of the 2013/14 La Scala season in La traviata , Beczała announced his refusal ever to appear in another production at La Scala. In 2014, he

702-579: Was in the lead role of this opera that the Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo made his Met debut in 1968, alongside Renata Tebaldi . He sang again in Adriana Lecouvreur in February 2009. The title role in Adriana Lecouvreur has always been a favorite of sopranos with large voices, which tend to sit less at the very top of their range. The part has a relatively low tessitura , going no higher than Bb, and only

729-546: Was made by Caruso as early as 1902 for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company in Milan and its affiliates, with Cilea at the piano. Backstage at the Comédie-Française The company is preparing for a performance and bustling around Michonnet, the stage manager. The Prince de Bouillon, admirer and patron of the actress Duclos, is also seen backstage with his companion, the Abbé. Adriana enters, reciting, and replies to

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