Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role and Marcello Giordani as Paolo il Bello in 'Francesca da Rimini'
(Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera)
Francesca da Rimini, Riccardo Zandonai's dramatic verismo rarity, returns to the Met for the first time since the mid 1980s. Based on a Gabriele d'Annunzio play inspired by an episode in Dante's Inferno, the story is full of lurid and dramatic turns.
Beautiful Francesca (the soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek) is tricked into marrying the ugly Gianciotto (baritone Mark Delavan) through a ruse involving his handsome brother, Paolo (tenor Marcello Giordani). Francesca actually falls in love with Paolo, and they begin a passionate extramarital affair.
Malatestino, an evil third brother (played by tenor Robert Brubaker), also lusts after Francesca. He discovers the affair and reveals it to Gianciotto. The story doesn't end happily for the two lovers.
Cast:
Conductor: Marco Armiliato
Francesca: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Paolo il Bello: Marcello Giordani
Malatestino: Robert Brubaker
Gianciotto: Mark Delavan
Follow WQXR
About Metropolitan Opera
For more than seven decades, the Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts have brought opera into millions of homes, playing a vital and unparalleled role in the development and appreciation of opera in this country. The broadcasts debuted on December 25, 1931, with Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and are now the longest-running classical music series in American broadcast history.
Hosted by Margaret Juntwait
Comments [2]
No one is humming the tunes.
The adultery of Francesca and Paolo was not so romantic as the opera describes but it was more an act of lust as Dante describes because at that time they were both married with children and their adultery was more calculated than a simple act of attraction. I visited the castle of Gradara near Rimini and millions of tourists visit the castle but it is not explained in what room they were both murdered. It is a big castle very well upgraded and kept.
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.