Adriana Lecouvreur

Music by Francesco Cilea

Libretto by Arturo Colautti after the play by E. Scribe and E. Legouve

The Story

(Paris; early years of the 18th century)

Adriana Lecouvreur, a famous actress of her day, is in love with Maurizio whom she believes to be an ensign of the Count of Saxony. Vying for his attentions is the Princess de Bouillon who has promised to use her influence to further his political career. Her husband, in the meantime, is having an affair with another actress, Duclos, and is unaware of his wife's activities. He is more concerned with Duclos' apparent infidelity for he has intercepted a letter which he mistakenly believes to be from her to another lover arranging an assignation and, in order to confirm his suspicions, he plots to catch the lovers red-handed. The letter, in fact, is from the Princess to Maurizio who has somewhat reluctantly consented to the meeting, annoyed that he will have to break his date with Adriana as a result. Their liaison, however, does not go according to plan for they are unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of the Prince, intent on catching his mistress with her lover.

The Princess quickly hides to avoid being seen by her husband and Maurizio appeals to Adriana (who has now discovered that he is the real Count of Saxony) to help the Princess escape. Unfortunately, in the process the two women discover that they are both in love with the same man and bitter rivalry springs up between them. Events culminate on Adriana's birthday when the Princess sends her some violets, now faded, that Adriana originally gave to Maurizio as a token of her affection. Assuming the present to be from Maurizio, Adriana believes that the dead flowers are a symbol of their dying love. Although she is overjoyed when Maurizio returns to her protesting his innocence and proposing marriage, her joy is short-lived as the violets have been poisoned by the Princess, and Maurizio can only stand helplessly by as Adriana collapses lifelessly into his arms.

> This Week

> Archive of operas

Francesco Cilea
1866 - 1950.