Il trittico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Operas by Giacomo Puccini |
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Le Villi (1884) |
Il trittico (The Triptych) is the title to a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. The work received its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918.
Puccini intended that the three always be performed as a set, and indeed was infuriated when they were separated, but today it is quite common to see only one or two performed in an evening. One of the operas may also be paired with another one-act opera by a different composer, an arrangement which Puccini despised even more.
As a whole, Il trittico is quite balanced. Il tabarro, the first act, is very dark and brooding, full of the violence and grit associated with verismo opera. Suor Angelica, the second act, Puccini's personal favorite (and usually the one to be omitted if only two of the acts are performed), is an uplifting tale of religious redemption. Gianni Schicchi, the third act, is the most popular, a comedic farce full of greed and conniving.
An acclaimed new production at the Metropolitan Opera opened on April 20, 2007, directed by Jack O'Brien and was broadcast on television by PBS's Great Performances at the Met series.
