Puccini

Ato III (A Barreira do Inferno - bairro na periferia de Paris) Manhã de inverno. A neve cai profusamente. Vê-se uma praça cheia de árvores, um cabaré, e o portão da alfândega. Varredores de rua cantarolam enquanto trabalham, ouvem-se vozes, gritos e risos vindos de dentro do cabaré. Chega Mimì, pálida e tossindo, e pergunta a um sargento onde é o cabaré no qual mora e trabalha o pintor Marcello; ele lhe aponta. Ouve-se a voz de Musetta cantando lá dentro. Uma garçonete sai do cabaré, e Mimì pede a ela que diga ao pintor Marcello que Mimì quer falar com ele. Marcello sai, Mimì explica a ele que o relacionamento entre ela e Rodolfo está indo por água abaixo. Na noite anterior, ele fugiu de casa dizendo, "está tudo acabado entre nós". Eles vêm tendo atritos constantes ultimamente, cuja razão subjacente, que Mimì ignora, e que talvez não seja clara nem mesmo ao próprio Rodolfo, é o sentimento de culpa de Rodolfo, por saber que Mimì está condenada, e ele não pode fazer nada por ela. Rodolfo sai da taverna, Mimì se esconde atrás de uma árvore. Na conversa com Marcello, Rodolfo confirma mais ou menos o que disse Mimì. Mimì tosse, denunciando sua presença. Mimì e Rodolfo agora cantam um dueto de amor, que é também uma despedida: Ci lascierem alla stagion dei fior. Os dois resolvem se separar amigavelmente. O dueto entre Mimì e Rodolfo se transforma num quarteto, quando vêm juntar-se as vozes de Musetta e Marcello, que estão tendo uma briga: Musetta flerta com todos os homens, para grande desagrado de Marcello. Ato IV (novamente no sótão, como no primeiro ato) Marcello e Rodolfo estão juntos de novo na mesma mansarda, Marcello pintando um quadro, Rodolfo escrevendo. Mas nem Marcello conseguiu esquecer Musetta, nem Rodolfo esquecer Mimì. Eles cantam um dueto, cada um recordando a respetiva amante. Chegam Schaunard e Colline trazendo comida. Os homens comem, bebem, cantam, dançam, brincam de luta, riem e se divertem. A brincadeira descontraída entre os machos é subitamente interrompida por um acorde lúgubre na orquestra: batem à porta. É Musetta: "Mimì vem vindo atrás de mim. Ela está muito mal". Mimì entra, quase sem fôlego após subir as escadas, fazem com que ela se deite na cama. Mimì pergunta a Rodolfo se ele quer sua presença, ele responde que sim. Musetta conta que Mimì abandonou um rico visconde, para ir morrer no lugar onde ela encontrou o verdadeiro amor. Mimì diz que sente frio. Musetta oferece vender suas joias, Colline seu casaco para conseguirem dinheiro para pagar um médico (Vecchia zimarra senti). Saem todos e deixam Mimì a sós com Rodolfo. Ela diz que fingia estar dormindo, porque queria estar a sós com ele. Eles cantam um último dueto de amor - de amor e de morte. Mimì pergunta se ela ainda é bela. "Bela como uma aurora", responde Rodolfo. "Bela como um crepúsculo, é isto que quiseste dizer", ela arremata. Eles relembram o primeiro encontro. Ela, com senso de humor, o recrimina pelo truque baixo que ele usou, escondendo a chave; "eu ajudava o destino", ele responde. Ouve-se de novo a melodia de Che gelida manina. Chegam Marcello, Musetta, Colline, Schaunard, trazendo uma manta nova que compraram para ela aquece-se melhor. Mimì sorri: "que bom, amor, estar sempre contigo, quentinha, e dormir". Um acorde lúgubre mas delicado na orquestra nos avisa que Mimì morreu (Puccini chegou a desenhar uma caveira neste ponto no manuscrito original da partitura). Musetta protege a chama da única vela que ilumina o quarto: Qui ci vuole un riparo perché la fiamma sventola, e faz uma prece à Virgem: Madona bendita, concede a graça a esta pobrezinha para que ela não morra. Madona Santa, eu sou indigna de perdão, enquanto Mimì é um anjo do céu. A ópera termina com Rodolfo gritando Mimì! Mimì!, repetindo a mesma nota (sol sustenido), enquanto soluça e chora convulsivamente, e tudo morre num acorde de dó sustenido menor. Act III (A Barreira do Inferno - neighborhood on the outskirts of Paris) Winter morning. Snow falls profusely. You can see a square full of trees, a cabaret, and the customs gate. Street sweepers hum as they work, voices, screams and laughter can be heard from inside the cabaret. Mimì arrives, pale and coughing, and asks a sergeant where the cabaret where the painter Marcello lives and works; he points at you. Musetta's voice can be heard singing inside. A waitress leaves the cabaret, and Mimì asks her to tell the painter Marcello that Mimì wants to talk to him. Marcello leaves, Mimì explains to him that the relationship between her and Rodolfo is going down the drain. The night before, he had run away from home saying, "It's all over between us." They've been having constant friction lately, the underlying reason for which, which Mimì ignores, and which may not be clear even to Rodolfo himself, is Rodolfo's guilt feeling, knowing that Mimì is doomed, and he can't do anything for her. . Rodolfo leaves the tavern, Mimì hides behind a tree. In the conversation with Marcello, Rodolfo confirms more or less what Mimì said. Mimì coughs, denouncing her presence. Mimì and Rodolfo now sing a love duet, which is also a farewell: Ci lascierem alla stagion dei fior. The two decide to part amicably. The duet between Mimì and Rodolfo turns into a quartet, when Musetta and Marcello's voices come together, who are having a fight: Musetta flirts with all men, much to Marcello's displeasure. Act IV (again in the attic, as in the first act) Marcello and Rodolfo are together again in the same attic, Marcello painting a picture, Rodolfo writing. But neither Marcello could forget Musetta, nor Rodolfo forget Mimì. They sing a duet, each recalling their respective lover. Schaunard and Colline arrive bringing food. Men eat, drink, sing, dance, play wrestling, laugh and have fun. The relaxed banter between the males is suddenly interrupted by an eerie chord in the orchestra: there is a knock at the door. It's Musetta: "Mimì is coming after me. She's in very bad shape." Mimì enters, almost out of breath after climbing the stairs, making her lie down on the bed. Mimì asks Rodolfo if he wants her presence, he says yes. Musetta tells how Mimì abandoned a rich viscount, to go and die in the place where she found true love. Mimì says she feels cold. Musetta offers to sell her jewelry, Colline her coat to get money to pay a doctor (Vecchia zimarra felt). They all leave and leave Mimì alone with Rodolfo. She says that she pretended to be sleeping because she wanted to be alone with him. They sing one last duet of love - of love and death. Mimì asks if she is still beautiful. "Beautiful as an aurora", replies Rodolfo. "Beautiful as a twilight, that's what you meant," she finishes. They reminisce about their first date. She, with a sense of humor, reproaches him for the low trick he used, hiding the key; "I helped fate," he replies. The melody of Che gelida manina is heard again. Marcello, Musetta, Colline, Schaunard arrive, bringing a new blanket they bought for her, she warms up better. Mimì smiles: "how nice, love, to always be with you, warm, and sleep". A lugubrious but delicate chord in the orchestra warns us that Mimì is dead (Puccini even drew a skull at this point in the original manuscript of the score). Musetta protects the flame of the only candle that lights the room: Qui ci vuole un ripero perché la fiamma sventola, and says a prayer to the Virgin: Blessed Madonna, grant grace to this poor thing so that she does not die. Holy Madonna, I am unworthy of forgiveness, while Mimì is an angel from heaven. The opera ends with Rodolfo shouting Mimì! Mimì!, repeating the same note (G-sharp), while sobbing and crying convulsively, and everything dies in a C-sharp minor chord.

Turandot, last opera by Giacomo Puccini, composed in three acts, with a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, based on a play by Carlo Gozzi with an adaptation by Friedrich von Schiller. It premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on April 25, 1926, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. Summary: Princess Turandot, daughter of Emperor Altum of China, hates all men, and swears that she will never give herself to any of them; this was due to an event in the imperial family that traumatized them forever: the rape and murder of Princess Lo-u-Ling, when the Tatars invaded and conquered China. Her father, however, demands that she marry, for dynastic reasons, and to respect Chinese traditions. The princess agrees; however, on one condition: she will propose three riddles to all candidates, who will risk their own heads if they don't get all three right, and she will only marry the one who deciphers all three very tough riddles. The princess's cruelty and coldness only fan the passion of the Unknown Prince, son of the deposed king of Tartars, who decides to risk his own life to win the proud princess's hand. He succeeds, after the defeat of all the other candidates, not least because he is the only one who shares the princess's sadistic and selfish nature, being able to understand her. Synopsis: Act I Beijing. A herald of the imperial government announces to the crowd, gathered in Tiananmen Square, Emperor Altum's decree: Princess Turandot will marry the one who, of royal blood, deciphers the three riddles she will pose. He who risks, however, and fails, will pay with his life. The Prince of Persia has just tried, but no luck: he will be executed at moonrise. The crowd can't wait to see the performance (Perché tarda la luna?). In the midst of this maddened mob is the old Timur, undiscovered dethroned prince of the Tartars, and his faithful servant Liù. The Unknown Prince, son of Timur, exults with joy when he finds his father, who he thought dead. The moon rises in the sky. The Prince of Persia appears on his way to the scaffold; far from appearing frightened in the face of death, he seems to be in a mystical ecstasy, intoxicated by Turandot's beauty. Here the princess enters the scene for the first time. Taken with pity for the young prince, all beg him for mercy; but, instead, without a single second's hesitation, in an imperious, cold, and cruel gesture, she gives the signal to the executioner who brings the ax down on the prince's neck. It is at this very moment that the Unknown Prince falls in love with Turandot, and announces his intention to apply for the princess' hand. Everyone tries to dissuade him from the idea: his father, the three imperial ministers Ping, Pang and Pong, and Liù, who, in a moving aria, Signore ascolta, confesses that she has been in love with the prince since the day she first saw him smile at the royal palace. The Prince responds by asking him never to stop taking care of his old father if he ever fails (Non piangere Liù). To the general screams of madness! foolish! what are you doing? -the prince takes the hammer, and hits the gong three times, a sign that he is applying for the hand of Turandot. Act II The three ministers Ping, Pang and Pong discuss the fate of China, and comment that, since Turandot began to reign, no one has peace in the Celestial Empire: the ax and the instruments of torture work night and day. The scene is set in front of the Imperial Palace for the enigma ceremony. The old Emperor Altum appears, who tries to convince the young suitor to give up: "Allow, my son, that I can die without taking to the grave this guilt for your young life, much blood has already flowed!" But it's all in vain, the stubbornness of the young Unknown Prince leaves everyone dumbfounded. Turandot appears, looking at the candidate with a cold, impassive, and full of disdain. His voice is heard for the first time: "In this palace (Inquesta Reggia), more than a thousand years ago, a desperate cry resounded; and that cry, from the flower of my lineage, an eternal echo in my soul left. Lo-u-Ling!... For centuries she has slept in her huge tomb! Foreigner, give up! The riddles are three, death is one." With the prince turned down his last chance to escape unharmed, Turandot exposes his first riddle. "What is the ghost that is born every night, only to die when the morning comes?" "It's hope," replies the prince. The three sages of the kingdom consult the book of answers: first answer, correct. Turandot, for a brief moment, seems to have felt a shock, but he doesn't let himself be put down, and says with derision: "Yes! The hope that always eludes!" Impassive, she poses the second riddle: "What is red and hot like a flame, but isn't a flame?" "The blood," replies the prince. The sages consult their books: the second answer is also correct. Now, Turandot seems to have lost his composure a little, but convinces himself that all is not lost. Comes the third riddle: "What is the ice that sets you on fire?" "Turandot." "Turandot! Turandot!" cry the wise men in chorus. Right answer! Now, despair takes hold of Turandot, who throws himself into his father's arms: "Father, don't make me give myself to this foreigner!" But her father replies that there is nothing he can do: the oath is sacred. The Unknown Prince, however, states that he does not want to have Turandot against the princess's wishes. He proposes, then, a single riddle; if she answers correctly, he gives up her rights, and hands over his head to the executioner. "You have until dawn," says he, "to discover my name." Act III Civil servants roam the streets of Beijing with lanterns lit. In a perfect dictatorship, where she has unlimited powers, Turandot has ordered that no one sleeps tonight in Beijing: everyone must help discover the name of the Unknown Prince. It is then that the prince sings the famous aria Nessun dorma (Let no one sleep). The three ministers Ping, Pang and Pong try to do everything to convince the young man to give up, offering him beautiful women, riches, and an exit visa from China - but all in vain. Suddenly, someone remembers seeing the young prince with Liù and the old man. Turandot orders Liù to be tortured until she reveals the prince's name; she dies without a word, in one of the most moving deaths of all operas. The day dawns with the old man crying over Liù's corpse. "Liù, kindness! Liù, sweetness! Liù, poetry!". Calaf, the unknown prince sees Turandot, she asks everyone to leave and has a duo with him (this one already composed by Franco Alfano) in which she reveals herself to be humble. Calaf tells her her name, and the guards arrive; Turandot restores her pride, but when talking about Calaf's name she says his name is "Love".

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on the play of the same name by Victorien Sardou. Debuted at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900. At the time, the political atmosphere in Italy was tense, with much revolutionary agitation of socialist and anarchist character. Synopsis: The story takes place in Rome in July 1800. A republican militant on the run, Angelotti hides in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, where Mario Cavaradossi completes a painting of Mary Magdalene. The sexton ponders that the portrait reminds him of a woman who used to pray there. Cavaradossi says that for this “unknown beauty”, he thinks only of his lover, the singer Tosca. Angelotti leaves the hiding place and Cavaradossi offers him help. Tosca arrives and Angelotti goes back into hiding. Dreaming of love, she tells Cavaradossi to meet her after her nightly recital. Tosca recognizes the Marquise Attavanti, Angelotti's sister, in the painting, and has a fit of jealousy. Cavaradossi reaffirms his love and convinces her to leave. When Angelotti reappears, shots are heard signaling that his escape has been discovered, and Cavaradossi offers his mansion as a hiding place. Scarpia, the chief of police, arrives in search of the fugitive, but only finds a fan forgotten in the church by the marquise. When Tosca returns, Scarpia teases her that the portrait is of an adulteress and shows her the fan as proof. Furious, Tosca goes to Cavaradossi's mansion, followed by Scarpia's agents. Meanwhile, the crown celebrates a victory over Napoleon by celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving. During the mass, Scarpia can't stop dreaming of having Tosca in her arms. The chase continues, but Angelotti remains at large. Cavaradossi is arrested and taken to the Farnese Palace. Scarpia interrogates him but he denies knowing anything about Angelotti. Tosca arrives and Scarpia orders Cavaradossi to be taken to the torture chamber. She hears his groans and Scarpia says she can put an end to his suffering. Tosca refuses and the torture continues. She can't take it anymore and ends up revealing Angelotti's hiding place. Cavaradossi feels betrayed by Tosca but lets out shouts of joy when he hears the news of Napoleon's victory over the crown. Scarpia has him executed. After Cavaradossi is taken away, he turns to Tosca and tells her that she can save her lover's life if she gives herself to him. Tosca is upset and hesitates. News of Angelotti's suicide arrives and she accepts Scarpia's conditions, but insists that her lover also be released. Scarpia says the two will be able to escape after a faked execution. He writes a pass for lovers. Shortly after Scarpia signs the document, Tosca stabs him in the heart and flees. Hours later, waiting for his execution at Castel Sant'Angelo, Cavaradossi thinks of Tosca. Suddenly, she arrives with the safe-conduct. She tells how she killed Scarpia and tells her lover that a carriage awaits them. But first he will have to undergo a false execution. Cavaradossi is taken to the castle roof and shots are heard. He topples over and Tosca approaches, telling him to be quiet until the soldiers leave. But then she realizes, to her horror, that he is dead. When the police arrive to arrest her for Scarpia's murder, she jumps to her death.