Most recent performance
There are currently no scheduled performances of Adriana Lecouvreur. It was last on stage 7 February—2 March 2017 as part of the WINTER 2016/17 season.
The Story
The actress Adriana Lecouvreur is adored by many – including stage manager Michonnet – but she loves Maurizio, Count of Saxony. He is entranced by Adriana, and desperately tries to extricate himself from his former lover, the Princesse de Bouillon.
Read more… (Contains spoilers)
Background
The death of French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur inspired many plays and operas, of which Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur is the finest and most enduring. The opera would become Cilea’s greatest success, renowned particularly for his heroine’s arias ‘Io son l’umile ancilla’ in Act I and ‘Poveri fiori’ in Act IV – though Cilea’s atmospheric and elegant score offers much more besides, with Maurizio’s aria ‘La dolcissima effigie sorridente’, the Act III ballet and Adriana’s intense spoken recitation at the end of that act particular highlights.
David McVicar’s 2010 production was The Royal Opera’s first since 1906. For it, set designer Charles Edwards re-created to exacting detail a working Baroque theatre, similar to the 18th-century Comédie-Française in which the real Adrienne would have performed. Sumptuous period costumes designed by Brigitte Reiffenstuel complete a spectacular production that delves into the intoxicating allure of the theatre.
News and features
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Your Reaction: What did you think of Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur 2017?
8 February 2017
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Set piece: The challenges of re-creating a Baroque theatre for The Royal Opera’s Adriana Lecouvreur
1 February 2017
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Adriana Lecouvreur musical highlight: Princesse de Bouillon’s aria ‘Acerba voluttà, dolce tortura’
19 January 2017
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Who was the real Adrienne Lecouvreur? The true story behind Cilea's opera
18 January 2017
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Opera Essentials: Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur
12 January 2017
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10 of opera's greatest mezzo-soprano roles
19 December 2016