Royal Opera

Andrea Chénier

In Cinemas 20, 21 & 24 Jul 2024
Conductor
Antonio Pappano
Orchestra
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Cast
Jonas Kaufmann (Andrea Chénier), Sondra Radvanovsky (Maddalena di Coigny), Amartuvshin Enkhbat (Carlo Gérard), Katia Ledoux (Bersi), Alexander Kravets (The Incredible), Ashley Riches (Roucher), Rosalind Plowright (Contessa di Coigny), William Dazeley (Pietro Fléville), Aled Hall (The Abbé), Jeremy White (Schmidt)
Composer
Umberto Giordano
Director
David McVicar
Set Design
Robert Jones
Duration
2h56 including an interval
Sung in Italian, with English subtitles
Captured live from Covent Garden, London 5 Jun 2024
Official Event Listing
  • Grand and opulent. Kaufmann returns to full-throttle form. Giordano most likely never heard Andrea Chénier played with the near symphonic scale and passion Pappano gives it here.
    Richard Fairman, THE FINANCIAL TIMES
    Extravagant. Swelling and simmering and sparkling, the pit runneth over beneath Pappano's characteristically mercurial lead. Kaufmann did not disappoint.
    Daniel Lewis, THE TIMES
    A triumph. A night of exciting singing, aided and abetted by Antonio Pappano. Could anyone make Giordano's score sound more dramatically vivid?
    George Hall, THE STAGE
    Fabulous. Costume drama at its finest. An opera that can make you believe in every action taken by every one of its characters, infused with a sense of the turbulent times in which it is set, enhanced by the richness of late romantic music.
    David Karlin, BACHTRACK
    A blazing performance. Pappano conducts with both stormy energy and tender empathy.
    Peter Conrad, THE OBSERVER
    Exciting and affecting. Pappano ends on a high with this sensational revival - a thrilling account of an often remarkable work that sends you out into the street feeling elated and slightly jittery.
    Tim Ashley, THE GUARDIAN

Opera in four acts (1896)

Superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann headlines a new performance of David McVicar’s spectacular staging, under the baton of long-time collaborator Antonio Pappano – who conducts Giordano’s epic historical drama of power, forbidden love and betrayal in his last production as Music Director of The Royal Opera.

At a glittering party in 18th-century Paris, the poet Andréa Chenier delivers an impassioned denunciation of Louis XVI. Five years later, the Revolution has given way to the Terror, transforming the power balance between Chénier, his beloved Maddalena (Sondra Radvanovsky), and Gérard (Amartuvshin Enkhbat), the man who could destroy him...

Giordano's timeless music powerfully illuminates the heartbreak and revolution at the core of this large-scale opera, while Robert Jones' set design, Jenny Tiramani's costumes and Adam Silverman's lighting transports audiences to the tension and terror of the French Revolution.

Please note cast change: the previously billed Carlos Álvarez was forced to withdraw from all performances of Andrea Chénier, replaced in the role of Carlo Gérard by Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat [updated 10 Feb 24]

Sydney patrons please note: Due to the recent closure of Palace Verona for building redevelopment, this production will screen nearby at Palace Moore Park, located in the Entertainment Quarter precinct in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Advance tickets now on sale.