| Il trittico | |
|---|---|
| Triptych of one-act operas byGiacomo Puccini | |
 The composer | |
| Language | Italian |
| Premiere | |
Il trittico (TheTriptych) is the title of a collection of three one-act operas,Il tabarro,Suor Angelica, andGianni Schicchi, byGiacomo Puccini. The work received its world premiere at theMetropolitan Opera on 14 December 1918.
Around 1904, Puccini first began planning a set of one-act operas, largely because of the success ofPietro Mascagni'sCavalleria rusticana.[1] Originally, he planned to write each opera to reflect one of the parts ofDante'sDivine Comedy. However, he eventually based onlyGianni Schicchi on Dante's epic poem.[2] The link in the final work is that each opera deals with the concealment of a death.
Puccini also intended that the three should be performed as a set, and wrote toCasa Ricordi to complain about their giving permission in 1920 toThe Royal Opera, London, "forTabarro andSchicchi withoutAngelica". He reluctantly agreed that the two operas could be given in a programme withSerge Diaghilev'sBallets Russes, but when he heard thatIl tabarro had also been dropped, he wrote to his friend Sybil Seligman to say "I very much dislikeTrittico being given in bits – I gave permission fortwo operas, and notone, in conjunction with the Russian Ballet."[3]
Today, it is quite common to see only one or two of thetrittico operas performed in an evening, and sometimes one of them may be paired with another one-act opera by a different composer.
The operas premiered at theMetropolitan Opera on 14 December 1918. The critical reviews forIl trittico were mixed; most critics agreed thatGianni Schicchi was the best of the three operas.[4]
Il trittico premiered in Rome on 11 January 1919. Puccini, who had not been present for the New York premiere, attended the production at theRome Opera House. The Rome production, especiallyGianni Schicchi, received positive reviews. Later that year, the triptych was staged at theTeatro Colón in Buenos Aires (25 June) withTullio Serafin conducting and in Chicago (6 December). After these initial premieres, most opera companies began to perform the operas separately;Gianni Schicchi would eventually become the most frequently performed of the set.[5]
A critically acclaimed production at the Metropolitan Opera opened on 20 April 2007, directed byJack O'Brien and was broadcast on television byPBS'sGreat Performances at the Met series.[6] In this productionIl tabarro was moved from 1910 to 1927,Suor Angelica was moved from the 17th century to 1938, andGianni Schicchi was moved from 1299 to 1959.[7]
A complete synopsis of each opera may be found in their individual articles
The opera is dark and brooding, with the violence and grit associated withverismo opera.
This second opera, Puccini's personal favorite[8] (but usually the one to be omitted if only two of the operas are performed), is about religious redemption.
The third opera, a farce, is the most popular.[9]
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