Il tabarro
This tale of infidelity and murder set on the banks of the Seine is the first opera in Puccini’s Il trittico. Richard Jones’s noirish production was acclaimed on its premiere in 2011.
Introduction
Giorgetta, the wife of Michele, a Parisian barge owner, has fallen in love with Luigi, one of her husband’s stevedores. Michele’s growing suspicion and jealousy lead him to violent action.
News and features
Il trittico DVD nominated for BBC Music Magazine Award
Award to be decided by public vote.
Il tabarro broadcast on BBC Four on Friday 15 June
Watch the first of Puccini’s Il trittico, directed by Richard Jones.
Il trittico and Eva-Maria Westbroek shortlisted for RPS Music awards
Two Royal Opera nominations in this year's Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.
Il trittico: Watch an Insight from Antonio Pappano
The Music Director of The Royal Opera presents a passionate introduction to Puccini's triptych.
Background
Giacomo Puccini’s triptych of operas, Il trittico, opens with Il tabarro (The Cloak) – a taut melodrama set in working-class Paris. It is based on the play La Houppelande by the French playwright Didier Gold, which Puccini saw in 1912. The libretto was created by Giuseppe Adami, with whom Puccini also collaborated on La rondine.
Il tabarro opens with an evocation of the rippling waters of the Seine – a musical motif that runs throughout the opera. The river is also powerfully represented in Utz’s stage designs, which re-create the moored barges and tall, soot-blackened buildings lining the Seine. The Royal Opera’s production opened in 2011 as part of the first complete staging of Il trittico at Covent Garden since 1965.
Please note
This work is part of the trio of operas Il trittico
Credits
| Director | Richard Jones |
| Set designs | Ultz |
| Costume designs | Nicky Gillibrand |
| Lighting design | D M Wood |
| Movement Director | Sarah Fahie |
