Anything can be defeated with smarts and laughter

by Petar PLAMENOV

30 November (Wednesday), 19:00
2 December (Friday), 19:00
National Opera and Ballet
Premiere
Address:
Sofia, 1 Vrabcha Str.
Phone: 02 987 13 66

GIANNI SCHICCHI
Opera by Giacomo Puccini

Cast and characters:
Gianni SCHICCHI -Vladimir Samsonov, Biser Georgiev, Kim Zheong Ho, Lauretta - Lyubov Metodieva,Sara Kobayashi, Silvia Teneva, Zita -Rumyana Petrova,Tsveta Sarambelieva; Rinuccio -Daniel Ostretsov,Kiril Sharbanov

Conductor
VELIZAR GENCHEV
Director
PLAMEN KARTALOFF
Designer
ROBERTA MONOPOLI
Costume Designer
STANKA VAUDA
Lighting Designer
Andrej Hajdinjak

Gianni SCHICCHI by Giacomo Puccini inspired by a passage in Dante's Divine Comedy. Words to that effect often as not accompany any introduction to this comic masterpiece. The passage in question, from Canto XXX of the Inferno. Best known for its popular aria, “O mio babbino caro,” this ingenious comedy set to music by Puccini follows the cunning Gianni Schicchi who becomes instantly wealthy and finds a way for his daughter to marry the man of her dreams. Gianni Schicchi is such a witty opera one can hardly go wrong, and this was all enormous fun.



Puccini's Gianni Schicchi is a comedic one-act opera with an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, based on a story referred to in Dante's Divine Comedy. The story, set in Florence, Italy, follows the family of Buoso Donati, an extremely wealthy man who dies and leaves his fortune to the local monks. The family begs the cunning Gianni Schicchi to help them procure Donati's fortune, and hijinks ensue.  The opera is the third portion of Puccini's trilogy of one act operas, Il trittico. 

Giacomo Puccini was the most important composer of Italian opera after Verdi. He wrote in the verismo style, a counterpart to the movement of Realism in literature and a trend that favored subjects and characters from everyday life for opera. On his often commonplace settings Puccini lavished memorable melodies and lush orchestration. It was around the turn of the twentieth century that he reached his artistic zenith, composing in succession his three most popular and effective operas, La Bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly.

In 1913, Puccini accepted a lucrative commission from Vienna interests, which resulted in La rondine. Received warmly at its 1917 Monte Carlo premiere, it faded under the judgment it was the least of his operatic efforts. Puccini followed this disappointment with his trilogy of one-act operas, Il trittico -- comprised of Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi -- all premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1918. Only the latter work, a comedy, was well received.



The true source of the libretto is in fact the ``Commentary on the Divine Comedy by an Anonymous Florentine of the 14th Century'', a work which appeared in print in 1866. That commentary provides the following detail:

``This Gianni Schicchi was of the Cavalcanti of Florence, and the story is told of him that: Messer Buoso Donati being mortally ill, he wished to make a will, as he had much to leave others. Simone his son put him off with words, so that he could not do so, and kept putting him off until he died. Simone concealed his death, afraid that there might be a will he had made before his illness. Simone, not knowing what to do, called on Gianni Schicchi for counsel. Gianni knew how to mimic everyone in words and actions, especially Messer Buoso, whom he had known well. He said to Simone: Call a notary, and say that Messer Buoso wishes to make a will: I will get into his bed, we'll hide him behind it, I will cover myself well, putting on his nightcap, and I will dictate the will as you wish: and see to it that I profit as well.




Simone agreed with him: Gianni gets into bed, appears to be in pain, and imitates the voice of Messer Buoso so that he appears to be him, and begins the will, saying: I leave 20 soldi to the works of Santa Reparata, and 5 lire to the Little Friars, and 5 to the Preachers, and so on, distributing to God, but in very small amounts. To Simone, who was to profit from this deed, he said, and I leave additionally 500 florins to Gianni Schicchi. Simone says to `Messer Buoso': this needn't be put in the will; I'll see that he gets them- Simone, I will leave what is mine to whom I please: I will leave you enough, that you will be happy- out of fear, Simone kept quiet.
 
He continues: And I leave to Gianni Schicchi my mule (for Messer Buoso had the best mule in Tuscany). Oh, Messer Buoso, said Simone, he doesn't care anything for this mule: I know what Gianni Schicchi wants better than you. Simone begins to be consumed with rage, but keeps silent out of fear. Gianni Schicchi continues: And I leave to Gianni Schicchi the hundred florins that my neighbor owes me: and the remainder I leave to Simone, on this condition, that he execute all my bequests within fifteen days; otherwise, I leave everything to the Little Friars of the convent of Santa Croce; and the will being complete, everyone departed. Gianni gets out of bed, Messer Buoso's body is replaced, and they rise up, and weep, and say that he has died.''

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