Andrea Chenier San Francisco Tickets

Andrea Chenier

Andrea Chenier is an opera of the “verismo” or realistic style, which became popular with the end of the Romantic period of opera. The music was composed by Umberto Giordano with a libretto by Luigi Illica. It was first performed in March 1896 in Milan, Italy.

The opera is loosely based on the life of a French poet named Andrea Chenier, who was executed during the French Revolution.

Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) was an Italian composer of operas; he works number more than a dozen. His earliest pieces helped bring in the period of “verismo,” or realistic, period of opera.

Luigi Illica (1857-1919) was an Italian librettist of operas. His most famous works include La Boheme and Madama Butterfly.

About the Real Andrea Chenier

Andrea Chenier, though French, was born in Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) in 1762 while his father was consul to the Ottoman Empire. The family returned to France when Chenier was three. Shortly after, his father was appointed consul general of France in Morocco.

Later, he decided to become a poet. For a time, he served as secretary to a friend who became ambassador to Britain. However, the revolution called him back to France, where he penned poetical satires for the Journal de Paris; the satires caused Robespierre to condemn him.

He published little of his own poetry during his lifetime. He wrote much of his posthumously published work while in seclusion and then prison after King Louis XVI was executed. His most famous work is “Jeune Captive,” which was inspired by the plight of a fellow captive. Chenier was killed by guillotine in 1794. Robespierre himself was executed just three days later.

Andrea Chenier San Francisco Tickets

The San Francisco Opera company was established in 1923. It quickly became very popular, not just in San Francisco but also Los Angeles, where the SFO presented parallel programs for nearly three decades.

The War Memorial Opera House opened in 1932 during some of the darkest days of the Great Depression. From the start, it featured many sold-out performances. Still home to the SFO today, the company shares space with the San Francisco Ballet. The War Memorial is also the birth place of the United Nations.

Today, the SFO continues to present great classic opera, while also commissioning world premieres and training new voices.

Similar events worth checking out at the War Memorial Opera House include Don Pasquale, Aida and The Makropulos Case. Get your tickets at StubHub.