Il Trittico

Puccini's Il trittico is a triple-bill which is seldom performed as such. Of the three one-act short operas that compose it, only Gianni Schicchi is regularly seen on stage; Suor Angelica is second, but perhaps more often performed in concert form, its only famous piece being the aria "senza mamma", while Il tabarro is a real rarity. The effort to set up three different operas which demand quite different casts is certainly one of the reasons for this situation. Il tabarro calls for real spinto voices in the main roles, while Angelica is also quite demanding for the singer in the title role, not to mention the huge number of principals it calls for.

Giacomo Puccini is very well served in this production of Il Trittico. I've never had the luxury of seeing all three operas together. I saw Suor Angelica in San Francisco around 1990 with Leona Mitchell (paired with I Pagliacci) and Gianni Schicchi in Los Angeles a couple of years ago with Samuel Ramey (paired with Bartok's Blubeard's Castle). When I watched this video, I was not expecting Renata Scotto or any of the others. Amarilli Nizza more than holds her own vocally and dramatically, as well as the uniformly good cast. The singing, conducting, staging & video quality are all excellent…
J. Schiavone "JSS" (Whittier, CA USA)

Leading director Richard Jones staged his witty, darkly comic realization of Gianni Schicchi for The Royal Opera in 2007. The production was revived in 2012 and here he completes the trio with two new productions of Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica. Antonio Pappano conducts an acclaimed cast including Eva-Maria Westbroek, Ermonela Jaho, Lucio Gallo, Elena Zilio and rising star Francesco Demuro. “A triumph…three wonderfully directed and expertly acted productions. Add in Pappano's impeccable conducting and his valuable introductions to the pieces, and you have a nigh-on ideal Trittico.” BBC Music Magazine