TV Standard: NTSC
Color: Colour

Credits:

Puccini (1858-1924)

Description:

From the Florence May Festival comes Puccini's last masterpiece, "Gianni Schicchi," in which Buoso, a wealthy Florentine who has just died, gives his entire estate to a monastery. His will states that he will give his entire estate to a monastery, and the members of his family, who have gathered for the inheritance, are in a quandary. One of the family members, Rinuccio, decides to ask Gianni Schicchi, the upstart father of his fiancée Lauretta, for advice... Gianni Schicchi" is one of the few comedies in Puccini's operatic oeuvre, and the last opera the composer himself completed after "Turandot" was unfinished. The story is based on an episode from Dante's "Divine Comedy," in which the protagonist attempts to make his daughter and her fiancé happy by taking advantage of the greedy family's schemes to steal their inheritance. In the play, the daughter Lauretta sings "My father," a well-known gem among the many famous soprano arias. This video was recorded at the Florence May Festival Opera House, a local production in Florence, where the work is set. The main character Gianni Schicchi is skillfully played by veteran Italian singer Bruno De Simone, and up-and-coming soprano Francesca Longari sings Lauretta with great expressiveness.The members of the family who are involved in the inheritance also give richly individual acting and singing performances, and the lively music led by Valerio Galli's baton gives this masterpiece of comedy a lively expression. Naxos Japan