Andrea Chénier (1985)

  • PG
  • 05/01/1985 (GB)
  • Music
  • 1h 47m

Overview

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

Lamberto Puggelli

Director

Luigi Illica

Writer

Humphrey Burton

Director

Cast

Plácido Domingo's headshot

Plácido Domingo

Andrea Chénier
Anna Tomowa-Sintow's headshot

Anna Tomowa-Sintow

Maddalena di Coigny
Giorgio Zancanaro's headshot

Giorgio Zancanaro

Carlo Gérard
Jonathan Summers's headshot

Jonathan Summers

Roucher
Cynthia Buchan's headshot

Cynthia Buchan

Bersi
John Dobson's headshot

John Dobson

Incredible
Roderick Earle's headshot

Roderick Earle

Dumas
Eric Garrett's headshot

Eric Garrett

Gaoler

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