| Cyrano de Bergerac | |
| Composer: | Franco Alfano |
| Image Upright: | 0.8 |
| Librettist: | Henri Caïn |
| Based On: | Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac |
| Language: | French |
| Premiere Date: | (in Italian) |
| Premiere Location: | Teatro dell'Opera di Roma |
Cyrano de Bergerac is a four-act opera with music by Franco Alfano, and libretto by Henri Caïn, based on Edmond Rostand's 1897 drama Cyrano de Bergerac.
The opera received its first performance at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on 22 January 1936, conducted by Tullio Serafin, with Maria Caniglia and José Luccioni. The first performance in Paris was on 29 May 1936 at the Opéra-Comique.[1]
Although Alfano originally set the text in French, the premiere was sung in Italian, as were many early Italian productions. In recent years, most productions have returned to the original French text, which was used in the Paris premiere.
Contemporary commentary on the opera by Guido M. Gatti criticised the composer as fearing "to seem too melodramatic", and the opera for being "overdecorated and labored" and containing "difficult and tortuous vocal writing". However, the same analysis also mentioned that "the opera has moments of definite effectiveness and exquisite poetry".[2]
The US premiere was on 13 May 2005, when the opera was presented at the Metropolitan Opera with Plácido Domingo in the title role. In May 2017 it was presented anew at the Metropolitan Opera with Roberto Alagna in the title role, and soprano Jennifer Rowley as the female lead Roxane in her Metropolitan Opera role debut.[3] [4] [5]
| Roxane | soprano | Maria Caniglia | |
| La duègne | mezzo-soprano | Agnese Dubbini | |
| Soeur Marthe | mezzo-soprano | Edmea Limberti | |
| Lisa | soprano | Matilde Arbuffo | |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | tenor | José Luccioni | |
| De Guiche | baritone | Giuseppe Manacchini | |
| Carbon | bass | Giacomo Vaghi | |
| De Valvert | baritone | Mario Bianchi | |
| L'officer espagnol | baritone | Millo Marucci | |
| Christian | tenor | Alessio De Paolis | |
| Ragueneau | bass-baritone | Emilio Ghirardini | |
| Le Bret | bass-baritone | Ernesto Dominici | |
| Lignière | baritone | Saturno Meletti |