Andrea Chénier

Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano (1867-1948), set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica.

The original text

The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet André Chénier, who was executed during the French Revolution. First performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1974: Presented by NAPAC Opera, with Nellie du Toit as Madeleine and Gé Korsten as Andrea Chénier, produced by James Conrad, conducted by Franco Ferraris.

1975: Presented by NAPAC Opera, with Nellie du Toit as Madeleine and Gé Korsten as Andrea Chénier, produced by James Conrad, conducted by Franco Ferraris.

2004: Presented by Cape Town Opera (21–30 October)

Sources

Wayne Muller. 2018. A reception history of opera in Cape Town: Tracing the development of a distinctly South African operatic aesthetic (1985–2015). Unpublished PhD thesis.

Alexandra Xenia Sabina Mossolow. 2003. The career of South African soprano Nellie du Toit, born 1929. Unpublished Masters thesis. University of Stellenbosch.