Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur (opera in concert)

The 25th Verbier Festival features a truly singular opera: Adriana Lecouvreur, a monumental yet rarely-performed work of the Italian repertoire by Francesco Cilea. With Valery Gergiev at the podium, Tatiana Serjan lends her majestic voice to the great tragic heroine Adriana Lecouvreur.

Adapted from a play by Eugène Scribe, the four-act opera is inspired by the true story of an actress of the Comédie-Française celebrated for her performances of the works by Corneille and Racine. In love with the Count of Saxony, Lecouvreur succeeds in seducing him and in doing so becomes the hated rival of the Princess of Bouillon. The unlucky actress dies after smelling a fragrant—but poisonous—flower bouquet sent by her resentful adversary.

“You see, I barely breathe, I am the humble servant of creative genius, which offers me words that I send into others’ hearts…” Adriana Lecouvreur, Act I.

Photo: Tatiana Serjan © Todd Rosenberg