Gianni Schicchi

Welcome and congratulations! Opera Engiadina makes its debut at the Chur Theatre and celebrates its fifth anniversary on stage with a special programme: a major opera project with the Graubünden premiere of Giacomo Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death and the world premiere of the Rhaeto-Romanic-German court scene "Il Tribunel" as a framework for Puccini's well-known musical comedy.

Gianni Schicchi is a shrewd representative of the law, quite unpopular in higher circles because he is not fine enough. But when the rich Donati dies suddenly, his heirs are extremely worried that he might have bequeathed his entire inheritance to the church. When the will is finally found, the fears are confirmed, and only the clever Gianni Schicchi can help here. He tries to save the world of the relatives by lying down in bed without further ado and mimicking the dying Donati, having the notary come and dictating a new will, of course not without generously favoring himself.

The framework plot and textual recreation "Il Tribunel" relocates the entire scenery from "Gianni Schicchi" to Poschiavo and brings a Rhaeto-Romanic court scene to the table. The opera is originally set around 1299 in Florence, Donati's bedroom, where he died. The venue in the production at the Chur Theatre is the courtroom of Samedan, and the opera plot is performed as a witness testimony before the judge, as a flashback, so to speak, to the events in Poschiavo, without any specific time.

The text version was penned by Manfred Ferrari, who is also responsible for the direction. The composition commission went to the renowned Graubünden composer Robert Grossmann.

Language: Italian, Romansh
Surtitle: German
From 12 years.