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Il tabarro

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Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 14 December 1918 (Conductor: Roberto Moranzoni)
	Il tabarro
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	Topics Il tabarro Topic Home *Il tabarro* (*The Cloak) is an opera Opera Opera* is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition.... in one act by Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italians composer whose operas, including La boh?me, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the List of important operas.... to an Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands.... libretto Libretto A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, Musical theater, and ballet.... by Giuseppe Adami Giuseppe Adami Giuseppe Adami was an Italy Libretto, known for his collaboration works with Giacomo Puccini for La rondine , Il tabarro and Turandot .... , based on Didier Gold's La Houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico Il trittico *Il trittico* is the title of a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini.... . The first performance was given on December 14, 1918 at Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager and James Levine is music director.... in New York City New York City The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population.... . le class="wikitable">
Michele, a barge-owner	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....	Luigi Montesanto
Giorgetta, Michele's wife	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....	Claudia Muzio Claudia Muzio Claudia Muzio was an Italian opera soprano, whose international career was among the most successful of the early 20th century....
Luigi, a stevedore Stevedore The words stevedore, docker, dock labourer and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....	Giulio Crimi Giulio Crimi Giulio Crimi was an Italian operatic tenor.Crimi was born in Patern?, Italy. He studied in Catania with Adern? and made his debut in Palermo, as Manrico in Il trovatore, in 1910, later appearing in Treviso as Hagenbach in La Wally....
'Tinca' ('tench'), a stevedore	tenor	Angelo Bada
'Talpa' ('mole'), a stevedore	bass	Adamo Didur Adamo Didur Adamo Didur was a top-class Poland bass . He sang extensively in opera in Europe and appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera from 1908 to 1932....
La Frugola ('the rummager'), Talpa's wife	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of European classical music female voice type whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above ....	Alice Gentle
Stevedores, a ballad-seller, midinettes, an organ-grinder, two lovers

Place: A barge

Barge

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Most barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats....
on the Seine

Seine

The Seine is a slow flowing major river and commercial waterway within Regions of France of ?le-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France and famous as a romantic backdrop in photographs of Paris, France....
in Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
.

Time: 1910.

It is close to sundown in Paris, while the stevedores work unloading the barge, Giorgetta (25) asks her husband Michele (50) if she can bring wine

Wine

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Encyclopedia

Il tabarro (The Cloak) is an opera

Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
in one act by Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italians composer whose operas, including La boh?me, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the List of important operas....
to an Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, Musical theater, and ballet....
by Giuseppe Adami

Giuseppe Adami

Giuseppe Adami was an Italy Libretto, known for his collaboration works with Giacomo Puccini for La rondine , Il tabarro and Turandot ....
, based on Didier Gold's La Houppelande. It is the first of the trio of operas known as Il trittico
Il trittico

Il trittico is the title of a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini....
. The first performance was given on December 14, 1918 at Metropolitan Opera

Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager and James Levine is music director....
in New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 14 December 1918 (Conductor: Roberto Moranzoni)
Michele, a barge-owner	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....	Luigi Montesanto
Giorgetta, Michele's wife	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....	Claudia Muzio Claudia Muzio Claudia Muzio was an Italian opera soprano, whose international career was among the most successful of the early 20th century....
Luigi, a stevedore Stevedore The words stevedore, docker, dock labourer and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....	Giulio Crimi Giulio Crimi Giulio Crimi was an Italian operatic tenor.Crimi was born in Patern?, Italy. He studied in Catania with Adern? and made his debut in Palermo, as Manrico in Il trovatore, in 1910, later appearing in Treviso as Hagenbach in La Wally....
'Tinca' ('tench'), a stevedore	tenor	Angelo Bada
'Talpa' ('mole'), a stevedore	bass	Adamo Didur Adamo Didur Adamo Didur was a top-class Poland bass . He sang extensively in opera in Europe and appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera from 1908 to 1932....
La Frugola ('the rummager'), Talpa's wife	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of European classical music female voice type whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above ....	Alice Gentle
Stevedores, a ballad-seller, midinettes, an organ-grinder, two lovers

Synopsis

Place: A barge

Barge

Seine

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
.

Time: 1910.

It is close to sundown in Paris, while the stevedores work unloading the barge, Giorgetta (25) asks her husband Michele (50) if she can bring wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
to the workers. He agrees but does not join them, because he tried to kiss her but she refused. She serves wine to the workers and they dance to the music of an organ grinder

Organ grinder

File:Austrian BarrelOrgan.jpgThe organ grinder was a musical novelty busking of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, and refers to the operator of a street organ....
, one of the workers steps on Giorgetta's foot and then Luigi (25) dances with her, it is evident that there is something going on between them. When listening that Michele is coming back the gathering breaks; the couple discuss about which worker should be dismissed because work is scarce, she prefers any one else but Luigi despite being Michele's first choice. Soon the conversation turns into a fight. Frugola enters, looking for her husband. She shows everyone the fruits of her scavening in Paris and scolds the men for their drinking. Luigi laments his lot in life. Frugola wishes to have enough money to buy a little place in the country where to rest for the remainder of their days. Giorgetta and Luigi remember their old town (they were born in the same place). Everyone leaves except for Luigi who asks to be dismissed and be allowed to disembark in Rouen

Rouen

Rouen is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie r?gion in France....
but Michele convinces him not to and leaves. When alone Giorgetta asks why he asked to be dismissed and they acknowledge their mutual love, they agree to meet later that evening to a previously agreed signal: a match being lit on board. Luigi seems very determined to kill Michele and flee with Giorgetta. Michele reminisces with Giorgetta of the days before their child died, how all three would fit under his cloak and he is distressed about him doubling her in age. She conforts him but she will still not kiss him. Michele wonders if his wife Giorgetta is still faithful and ponders on who has changed her so much and reviews the list of all the men that share their life but dismisses all of them as improvable. Michele lights his pipe and Luigi sees it from afar, thinking that it is Giorgetta's signal, returns to the barge and is confronted by Michele. Michele and Luigi engage in a fight, Michele gets the upper hand and foces Luigi to confess his affair, then kills him, hiding the body under his cloak. When Giorgetta returns feigning remorse, he opens wide the cloak, revealing her dead lover.

Lost aria

Puccini composed the music for an alternative aria for Michele, "Scorri, fiume eterno!" (Flow, timeless river!), after which he commits suicide. This aria is usually not performed and there is only one recording thereof sung by Robert Merrill, conducted by Lamberto Gardelli in the Record Label DECCA (1962).

Noted arias

Hai ben ragione! meglio non pensare — Luigi
Nulla! Silenzio! — Michele

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Michele, Giorgetta, Luigi)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1994	Juan Pons Juan Pons Joan Pons ?lvarez , is a Spanish dramatic baritone, known internationally as Juan Pons.... , Teresa Stratas Teresa Stratas Teresa Stratas Order of Canada , is a Canada soprano opera singer.... , Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Jos? Pl?cido Domingo Embil Order of the British Empire , better known as Pl?cido Domingo, is a Spanish tenor, known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range.... ,	James Levine James Levine James Lawrence Levine is an United States orchestral conducting and piano. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.... , Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager and James Levine is music director.... orchestra and chorus	DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a Germany classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. The company has long been known for its high standards of high fidelity.... Cat: 00440 073 4024
1994	Juan Pons Juan Pons Joan Pons ?lvarez , is a Spanish dramatic baritone, known internationally as Juan Pons.... , Mirella Freni Mirella Freni Mirella Freni is an Italian opera soprano much admired for the youthful quality of her voice, her phrasing and thoughtful character interpretations and acting skills.... , Giuseppe Giacomini,	Bruno Bartoletti, Orchestra e coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino	CD: Decca Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... Cat: 426 261-2
1962	Robert Merrill Robert Merrill Robert Merrill was an American operatic baritone. While there has been dispute regarding his birth year , the Social Security Death Index, his family, and his gravestone state that he was born in 1917.... , Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano, popular in the post-World War II period. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved opera singers of all time, she primarily focused on the verismo roles of the lyric and dramatic repertoires.... , Mario del Monaco Mario del Monaco Mario Del Monaco was an Italian tenor and is regarded by his admirers as being one of the greatest dramatic tenors of the 20th Century.Del Monaco was born Florence to a musical upper-class family.... ,	Lamberto Gardelli, Orchestra e coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino	CD: Decca Cat: 411 665-2

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company