In his libretto for Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Luigi Illica gave the character of Carlo Gérard—once a lackey, now a revolutionary hero—a phrase taken from the Girondist Vergniaud, who was executed in 1793: "The revolution devours its own children." This prominent quote reflects the core of the opera's plot, which premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1896: In a powerful historical narrative, it demonstrates how the French Revolution, in the course of its radicalization, also turned against people who had shared its ideals. Among them is the poet André Chénier (1762-1794), who is introduced in the opera as a guest at a nobleman's feast in 1789. In this decadent atmosphere, musically evoked by Rococo allusions, Chénier dares to denounce the social injustices of the Ancien Régime, provoking outrage but impressing the hostess's daughter, Maddalena, and the rebellious servant Carlo Gérard. After a leap in time of five years, we meet these three characters again under completely different circumstances. In her famous aria "La mamma morta," Maddalena describes how her family and possessions were taken from her, and how only her faith in love, to which Chénier once opened her eyes, kept her alive. However, Chénier cannot offer her the protection she seeks from him; as a critic of Robespierre's Reign of Terror, he, too, is acutely threatened. Even Gérard appears to be a victim of the political situation: after shying away at the last moment from exploiting his current position of power to subjugate the passionately desired Maddalena, he remorsefully tries to save the imprisoned Chénier from the guillotine - in vain.

Piotr Beczala

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Aug 25, 2025

Andrea Chénier · Salzburger Festspiele

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Andrea Chénier in Andrea Chénier by Giordano

Salzburger Festspiele

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