''Cyrano de Bergerac'' is a four-act

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

with music by

Franco Alfano Franco Alfano (8 March 1875 – 27 October 1954) was an Italian composer and pianist, best known today for his opera '' Risurrezione'' (1904) and for having completed Puccini's opera ''Turandot'' in 1926. He had considerable success with several ...

, and

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Henri Caïn Henri Cain (11 October 1857 – 21 November 1937) was a French dramatist, opera and ballet librettist. He wrote over forty librettos from 1893 to his death, for many of the most prominent composers of the Parisian Belle Epoque. Cain was born in ...

, based on Edmond Rostand's 1897 drama ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

''.

History

The opera received its first performance at the

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

on 22 January 1936, conducted by

Tullio Serafin Tullio Serafin (1 September 18782 February 1968) was an Italian conductor and former Musical Director at La Scala. Biography Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19t ...

, with

Maria Caniglia Maria Caniglia (5 May 1905 – 16 April 1979) was one of the leading Italian spinto sopranos of the 1930s and 1940s. Life and career Caniglia was born in Naples and studied at the Music Conservatories of Naples with Agostino Roche. She made ...

and José Luccioni. The first performance in Paris was on 29 May 1936 at the Opéra-Comique. Although Alfano originally set the text in French, the premiere was sung in Italian, as were many early Italian productions. In recent years, most productions have returned to the original French text, which was used in the Paris premiere. Contemporary commentary on the opera by Guido M. Gatti criticised the composer as fearing "to seem too melodramatic", and the opera for being "overdecorated and labored" and containing "difficult and tortuous vocal writing". However, the same analysis also mentioned that "the opera has moments of definite effectiveness and exquisite poetry". The US premiere was on 13 May 2005, when the opera was presented at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

with

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

in the title role. In May 2017 it was presented anew at the Metropolitan Opera with

Roberto Alagna Roberto Alagna (; born 7 June 1963) is a French operatic tenor. He obtained French citizenship in 1981, while also retaining his previous Italian citizenship. Early years Alagna was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, outside the city of Paris, in 1963 t ...

in the title role, and soprano Jennifer Rowley as the female lead Roxane in her Metropolitan Opera role debut."Alagna and Rowley bring emotional depth to Met's ''Cyrano de Bergerac''"
by Eric C. Simpson, ''New York Classical Review'', 3 May 2017

Roles

Recordings

* Opera d'Oro, a division of Allegro Corporation (OPD 1411):

William Johns William Johns (born 2 October 1936) is an American tenor who sang leading roles in the opera houses of Europe and the United States in a career spanning more than 25 years. Several of his live performances in Germany and Italy during the 1970s hav ...

, Olivia Stapp, Ezio di Cesare; Maurizio Arena, conductor; recorded in Turin 1975 * CPO 5210620: Manuela Uhl, Jennifer Arnold, Susanna Bernhard,

Roman Sadnik Roman Sadnik (born 26 February 1963) is an Austrian operatic tenor. Life Born in Vienna,Ro ...

, Wolfgang Newerla, Simon Pauly, Paul McNamara, Matthias Klein, Bernd Gebhardt, Konstantin Heintel; Chorus of Kiel Opera; Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra; Markus L. Frank, conductor (2002) * Deutsche Grammophon 4688259 (DVD):

Nathalie Manfrino Nathalie Manfrino is a French soprano. For UNIVERSAL- DECCA, She recorded her first disc, "French Heroines" with The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, DECCA label, which received the Golden Orpheus and the " Georg Solti prize". Her second solo ...

Richard Troxell Richard Troxell is an American operatic tenor who has sung leading roles in the opera houses of North America, Europe, and Asia since his professional debut in 1993. His signature roles include Lt. Pinkerton, which he sang in Frédéric Mitterran ...

Nicolas Rivenq Nicolas Rivenq (born 1958) is a contemporary French baritone. Born in London, Rivenq studied music at the "École d'Art lyrique" of the Paris Opéra, as well as the Indiana University. He has participated in numerous productions of baroque ...

, Marc Barrard, Jaël Azzaretti; Orchestre National de Montpellier; , conductor (2003) * Live broadcast from the Met (not commercially released, available from archive.org): Radvanovsky/Barasorda/Very/Michaels-Moore/de Candia; in New York; Armiliato, conductor (2006): part 1, part 2 * Naxos (DVD): Radvanovsky/Domingo/Chacón Cruz/Gilfry/Corrado Caruso; in Valencia; Patrick Fournillier, conductor (2007)

References

{{authority control Operas by Franco Alfano Italian-language operas Verismo operas Operas 1936 operas French-language operas Operas based on plays Works based on Cyrano de Bergerac (play) Operas set in France