0:00:18 > 0:00:22Hello, and welcome to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25where we're performing Puccini's Il trittico
0:00:25 > 0:00:28for the first time in almost half a century.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Il trittico is made up of three short, one-act operas,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34the first of which we are showing tonight.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38It was Puccini's idea to do a musical version of the classic
0:00:38 > 0:00:44triptych from fine art, where three painted panels told contrasting,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46yet complimentary, stories.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Puccini's panels tell tales of murder, suicide and farce,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55where the overriding theme is deception.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03The first opera in the trilogy is Il tabarro.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Puccini wrote it in later life, in 1916.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11He called this opera his "tragic panel."
0:01:11 > 0:01:13The setting is a barge on the River Seine,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15on an oppressively hot summer's evening,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18when the hard work of the day is almost over.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's a dark, passionate, troubling opera,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25with a love triangle at its core.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Michele is a man of 50 years old, is the boss of this boat,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and he is married with Giorgetta,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36a young lady of 25 years old,
0:01:36 > 0:01:41who falls in love with a young docker, Luigi.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52The problems come one year earlier, when they lose the child.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Losing a child is one of the worst things that can happen to you,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04and everything about Michele reminds her of her pain.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07They both have a different way of dealing with the grief,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11and I think she is, sort of, going into escapism,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14where she finds, tries to, you know,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19find a passionate love affair, just to put a lid on her grief.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Luigi, he really loves Giorgetta,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26but...
0:02:26 > 0:02:33the loneliness is the reason of the problems.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35He is alone, she is married,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37but she feels alone.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44You can watch in the eyes of Michele that he is losing everything.
0:02:44 > 0:02:52First of all, Giorgetta's love, but he tries to bring her back,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57to remind her how they were happy one year before.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Puccini was influenced by Debussy and Impressionism,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and you can hear the product of his extensive research in Paris
0:03:11 > 0:03:13in the opening music.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17It's hazy, you hear the sound of a tugboat, car horns,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22short repetitive phrases, the sound of water in movement.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26He's painting in sound.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Murky, mood-setting music showing the grind of the day,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and the downtrodden lives of the workers.
0:56:09 > 0:56:16APPLAUSE
0:56:33 > 0:56:38Betrayal and then murderous revenge. The climax of Il tabarro.
0:56:38 > 0:56:43The cloak reveals its dark secret.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45It captivated the audience in 1918,
0:56:45 > 0:56:47at its world premiere
0:56:47 > 0:56:50at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52The next opera in Puccini's triptych
0:56:52 > 0:56:54is the heart-wrenching tale of a young lady
0:56:54 > 0:56:58shamed and sent away to be a nun - Suor Angelica.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01So, do join me, Antonio Pappano,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04once again at the Royal Opera House, in Covent Garden.
0:57:27 > 0:57:33CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
0:58:37 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd