Il trittico

Story

Part I

Gianni Schicchi
Florence, in the house of Buoso Donati

To the horror of the aristocratic but not particularly genteel relatives gathered at his deathbed, the recently deceased patriarch has left the bulk of his fortune not to them, but rather to a monastic order. Rinuccio, nephew of the elderly Zita (who feels particularly cheated of her inheritance), suggests bringing in an outside legal expert by the name of Gianni Schicchi. Rinuccio’s motives are not entirely unselfish, as he and Schicchi’s daughter Lauretta are a couple. However, the whole family disapproves of his love affair with the daughter of an ordinary commoner who is not even from Florence – indeed, as a newcomer, he is deemed practically a foreigner. Through gritted teeth, they agree to accept Schicchi’s help in order not to be left empty-handed. And Schicchi himself only takes on the unpleasant task so as not to endanger his daughter’s romantic happiness. Schicchi’s idea is risky and brilliant at the same time. Being a natural born actor and comedian, he offers to impersonate the deceased and dictate a new will to the notary from the deathbed.

The relatives are thrilled, especially the women, who help him change into Buoso Donati’s clothes and dotingly put him to bed. Meanwhile, each one of the relatives takes a moment to discreetly whisper to Schicchi how he might consider them in “his” will. Before the notary arrives, Schicchi reminds them of the penalty for falsifying a will: amputation of the right hand and permanent exile from their beloved Florence. As this also applies for accomplices, he takes the precaution of sending his daughter out of the room so that she remains uninvolved in the crime. When the notary enters the room, he fails to notice the deception. But to the relatives’ outrage, the fake Buoso Donati proceeds to bequeath almost his entire fortune to his “best friend” Gianni Schicchi.

When the family begins to protest, Schicchi reminds them of the punishment that awaits, were the entire scam to be exposed. Once the will is notarized and the dazed notary leaves the room, the duped relatives try to pounce on the swindler. However, Schicchi insists that the house now belongs to him and chases the lot of them away. Only the young Rinuccio and Lauretta remain and begin to settle into their new home, while Schicchi pleads with the audience to forgive his misbehaviour on account of “extenuating circumstances”.

Part II

Il tabarro
Paris, on a barge on the banks of the Seine

The barge-owner Michele and his wife Giorgetta have some time ago lost their young son under unfortunate circumstances. Since then, a shadow has hung over their relationship. Giorgetta would love to convince Michele to sell the barge and move to the small Paris suburb of Belleville, where she grew up. She recently began a secret affair with Luigi, who works on the barge as a stevedore. During their short and passionate embraces, Giorgetta is able to forget her unhappiness.

Michele senses that his wife is being unfaithful, but has no idea who her lover could be. In a night-time conversation, he tries to remind her of their earlier happiness. For Giorgetta, however, the memories of the past are too painful. She wishes to find her way back to Michele, but at the same time it feels like she has hit a wall. That night, she has also arranged to meet Luigi again. Out of suspicion and jealousy, Michele does not go to bed.

When he lights his pipe, Luigi mistakes this from afar as Giorgetta’s signal that the coast is clear – usually, she lights a match to summon him to their short rendezvous. But now this small flame becomes Luigi’s undoing, as Michele, filled with impotent rage, strangles his wife’s lover. When Giorgetta emerges from her cabin shortly afterwards and tries to talk to her husband again, Michele reveals what he is hiding underneath his coat: Luigi’s dead body. Giorgetta is horrified, and Michele realizes that he has completely wrecked any hope of a future together.

Part III

Suor Angelica
In a convent

The young Angelica, daughter of a noble family, lost her parents as a young adult and shortly afterwards gave birth to a boy out of wedlock. Her aunt, who was appointed her guardian, separated the young mother from the child immediately after the birth and banished her to a convent, where she was to atone for the social ostracism she had brought upon her entire family. She has humbly waited seven years in the convent, eager to hear news of her family and especially of her boy, for whom she is enduring this difficult ordeal.

She has distinguished herself in the convent by working with medicinal plants and earning a reputation as a physician. Now, on one of the rare days of the year when a few rays of sunlight fall into the secluded cloisters, her longawaited visitor arrives. But rather than her son, it is her aunt, the princess, who demands Angelica’s signature on a document renouncing her inheritance. Unable to control herself any longer and cornered by her aunt’s ruthless cruelty, Angelica reverts to the rebel she was before she was forced into the convent. But what her aunt now tells her is more terrible than anything she could have imagined: her boy fell ill two years ago and died.

Wracked by agonizing grief, Angelica renounces her vows and mixes a deadly potion of herbs. Her desire now is to join her son in paradise, but in her death throes she is once again seized with panic. Fearing that she will be eternally damned for taking her own life, she chastises herself yet again. Just at this very moment, the Virgin Mary appears, showing her grace and reuniting Angelica with her dead child.