The Metropolitan Opera: Adriana Lecouvreur
About the Event
Enjoy the wonderful opera Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilea at the The Metropolitan Opera, in the heart of New York City.
Opera in four acts based on a play by Eugène Scribe and Gabriel Legouvé. First performed on 26 November 1902 at the Teatro Lirico in Milan and at the Gran Teatre del Liceu on 7 May 1903.
Adriana Lecouvreur is the best‐known and most celebrated opera by Francesco Cilea, a member of the Verism school. Based on a French comedy by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé which was enthusiastically received at the Comédie Française in 1849, it recounts the life of a famous actress of that same theatre. The real Adrienne Lecouvreur (1692‐1730), considered the finest interpreter of Racine and Corneille of her day, was admired by Voltaire, had a liaison with Marshal Maurice de Saxe and died young, after apparently being poisoned by a rival, the Duchess de Bouillon. Though Arturo Colautti's libretto is confused and somewhat incongruous, the delicate melodic inventiveness of the music and the elegant orchestration make the opera highly attractive. Some passages have become very popular: they include the aria «Io son l’umile ancella» and the final sequence, which is reminiscent of the mad scenes of the Italian operatic tradition. The role of Adriana is a favourite among sopranos with a strong dramatic personality.
Practical Information
Sung in Italian with Met Titles in English, German, Spanish and Italian.
Cast / Production
Adriana Anna Netrebko
Maurizio Piotr Beczala
Princesse de Bouillon Anita Rachvelishvili
Abbé de Chazeuil Carlo Bosi
Michonnet Ambrogio Maestri
Prince de Bouillon Maurizio Muraro
Conductor Gianandrea Noseda
Production Sir David McVicar
Set Designer Charles Edwards
Costume Designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting Designer Adam Silverman
Choreographer Andrew George
Associate Director Justin Wray
