Abstract
At the center of this gripping revolutionary drama is the historical figure of the young poet Andrea Chénier, who fell under the guillotine just three days before Robespierre's execution in 1794. Chénier is an ardent advocate of revolutionary ideals at the start, but as the plot unfolds, his love for the persecuted aristocrat Maddalena di Coigny brings him under the suspicion of the new rulers. The mixture of human tragedy and political historical thriller with a lethal outcome became Umberto Giordano’s greatest success. The Italian verismo composer virtuously captures the atmosphere of the French Revolution with the help of a composed babble of voices and with quotations from hymns such as the Marseillaise and the Carmagnole. In a series of concert performances conducted by Marco Armiliato, the internationally sought-after tenor Yonghoon Lee will perform the title role in Giordano's opera. The Italian soprano Erika Grimaldi will make her debut at Zurich Opera House as Maddalena di Coigny.