Choir John Alldis Choir / National Philharmonic Orchestra
CD 1
Quadro primo · Act One · Premier Tableau · Erstes Bild
1 Questo azzurro sofà là collochiam Maestro di casa 0.39
2 Compiacente a’ colloqui del cicisbeo Gérard 1.54
3 Son sessant’anni, o vecchio, che tu servi! Gérard 2.30
4 Il giorno intorno già s’inserra lentamente! Maddalena, Gérard, Contessa, Bersi 2.41
5 L’orribile gonnella “coscia di ninfa bianca” Maddalena, Contessa 2.31
6 Commosso, lusingato a tanti complimenti Fléville, Contessa, Maddalena 0.49
7 Debole è il Re! L’Abate, Fléville, Contessa, Maddalena, ospiti 3.15
8 O pastorelle, addio! Coro di pastori e pastorelle 2.07
9 Signor Chénier? Contessa, Chénier, Fléville, l’Abate, Maddalena 0.51
10 Al mio dire perdono ed al mio ardire! 2.44
Maddalena, Chénier, Contessa, amiche, ospiti
11 Un dì all’azzurro spazio guardai profondo Chénier, Maddalena, Contessa 5.00
12 La notte e il giorno portiamo intorno il dolore 4.08
Folla, Gérard, Contessa, Maestro di casa
Quadro secondo · Act Two · Deuxième Tableau · Zweites Bild
13 Per l’ex inferno! ecco ancor della polvere sulla testa di Marat! 1.12
Mathieu, Bersi, L’Incredibile
14 Temer? Perché? Perché temer dovrò? Bersi 1.54
15 No, non m’inganno! Era proprio con lei la bella bionda! 1.37
L’Incredibile, Chénier, Roucher
16 Credo a una possanza arcana Chénier, Roucher 3.44
17 Calligrafia invero femminil! Roucher, Chénier, la folla 2.30
18 Viva Robespierre! Evviva! 6.56
Mathieu, la folla, L’Incredibile, Chénier, Gérard, Roucher, Bersi
19 Ecco l’altare… Ancor nessuno Maddalena, Chénier, L’Incredibile 2.55
20 Eravate possente, io invece minacciata Maddalena 2.33
21 Ora soave, sublime ora d’amore! Chénier, Maddalena 2.39
22 Maddalena di Coigny! — Gérard! 1.43
Gérard, Maddalena, Chénier, Roucher, L’Incredibile, Mathieu, la folla
CD 2
Quadro terzo · Act Three · Troisième Tableau · Drittes Bild
1 Dumouriez traditore e giacobino Mathieu, Gérard, cittadini 3.10
2 Lacrime e sangue dà la Francia Gérard 1.32
3 Prendi! È un ricordo! Cittadine, Madlon, Gérard 4.38
4 Amici, ancor cantiam, beviam La folla, L’Incredibile, Gérard, Strillone 1.37
5 Donnina innamorata che d’aspettar s’annoia L’Incredibile, Gérard 2.37
6 Nemico della Patria? Gérard, L’Incredibile, Maddalena, Mathieu 6.23
7 Se ancor di me vi sovvenite non so! Maddalena, Gérard 4.56
8 La mamma morta m’hanno alla porta della stanza mia Maddalena 6.09
9 Perduto! La mia vita per salvarlo! Gérard, Maddalena 1.26
10 Mamma Cadet! Presso alla sbarra, qui! Mercantine, Mathieu, vecchie, 3.26
cittadini, Gérard, Maddalena, Dumas, Fouquier-Tinville
11 Sì, fui soldato e glorioso affrontato ho la morte Chénier 2.19
12 Udiamo i testimoni Fouquier-Tinville, Gérard, Chénier, Dumas, 3.02
Maddalena, cittadini
Quadro quarto · Act Four · Quatrième Tableau · Viertes Bild
13 Cittadino, men duol, ma è tardi assai Schmidt, Roucher, Chénier 1.43
14 Come un bel dì di maggio Chénier 3.49
15 Viene a costei concesso un ultimo colloquio Gérard, Schmidt, Maddalena 3.29
16 Vicino a te s’acqueta l’irrequieta anima mia Chénier, Maddalena 3.32
17 La nostra morte è… il trionfo dell’amor! Maddalena, Chénier, Schmidt 3.28
SYNOPSIS
The action takes place in Paris and its environs before and during the French Revolution.
Act One
The ballroom of the Château de Coigny. CD 1 1 Servants, Gérard among them, are preparing for the evening’s party. 2 Left alone in the room for a few moments, Gérard mocks the falsities and customs of aristocratic life, 3 then, infuriated by the sight of his aged father struggling with a heavy sofa, his words take on a more menacing character as he launches into a denunciation of the rich. 4 The Countess, her daughter Maddalenc and the latter’s mulatto maid Bersi enter. As the Countess checks the room, Gérard muses on the beauty of the daughter of the house, with whom he is secretly in love.
5–8 The guests arrive, among them an abbé, the writer Fléville and the poet Andrea Chénier. Having heard the latest political news from Paris, Fléville urges the guests to turn their attention to the Pastoral that is about to be given. 9–10 The Countess asks Chénier to recite some verses. 11 He begins by describing the beauties of nature but soon flails out at the selfishness and pride of the rich, which arouses the anger of the elegant guests. Maddalena, moved by the poet’s words, excuses herself, and the Countess, to restore the festive mood, asks the musicians to begin a gavotte.
12 Suddenly the door of the ballroom flies open, and a band of ragged men and women enter, led in by Gérard. The Countess orders the beggars and Gérard out. He goes, but not before he has torn the coat from his back denouncing his livery as slavery. The Countess recovers her composure, and the gavotte is resumed as if nothing has happened.
Act Two
The Café Hottot, Paris. A few years have passed; the Bastille has been taken, the first phase of the Revolution is over, and the Reign of Terror holds France in its grip. 13 –14 Bersi, enjoying the life of a revolutionary, sits at a table with “L’lncredibile”, a spy. 16 –16 Chénier, who has now come under suspicion for opposing Robespierre, sits at another table. He is soon joined by his friend Roucher, who warns him to leave Paris before it is too late. Chénier refuses, declaring that he believes a great love is about to change his life. He has been receiving letters from an unknown woman who, in the last letter, asked for a rendez-vous. 17 Roucher examines the letter and convinces Chénier that his mysterious lady is a “merveilleuse” — a streetwalker. Disheartened, the poet finally agrees to leave at dawn.
18 A group of revolutionary leaders passes, among them Gérard, now a popular hero. L’lncredibile stops him and asks for more details about the woman he has asked him to find. Gérard gives him a lyrical description of the beauty of Maddalena, and the spy, now pretty sure it is the woman he has seen with Bersi, promises Gérard he will see her soon. As darkness falls, Bersi approaches Chénier and tells him that a woman who is in great danger will meet him shortly. She runs off; L’lncredibile stations himself where he can watch unseen, and Roucher, fearing a trap, waits not too far away. ( Soon a shadowy figure appears. It is Maddalena. Chénier joins her, but it is only after she has pushed back her hood that he realises who she is. L’Incredibile decides this is the woman Gérard wants and hurries off. ) Maddalena tells Chénier of her plight and why she wrote; 21 the poet declares his love and willingness to help her.
22 They are about to go off when Gérard, followed by L’Incredibile, steps into their path. Roucher rushes onto the scene, and Chénier shouts to him to take Maddalena. The two start off, Roucher brandishing his pistol at L’Incredibile to keep him from following them. The spy goes for assistance as the rivals fight. Chénier wounds Gérard who recognises his opponent as he falls and warns him to flee because his name is on Fouquier-Tinville’s list of counter-revolutionaries. Chénier escapes just as “L’Incredibile” returns with the police. A crowd gathers and demands vengeance on the assailant of a leader of the people, but Gérard says he does not know his attacker.
Act Three
The courtroom of the Revolutionary Tribunal. CD 2 1 Mathieu harangues a group of citizens for contributions to the revolutionary fund. 2 There is no response until Gérard, recovered from his wound, makes an impassioned plea, reminding them of their duty to France. 3 Among those who now contribute jewellery and money is an old blind woman, Madelon, who offers the last of her grandsons, a fifteen-year-old lad, to the army. The boy is accepted; 4 the crowd helps the woman on her way and disperses, singing the revolutionary song, “La Carmagnole”.
L’Incredibile advises Gérard that Chénier has been arrested, but there is no trace of the girl. 5 He is sure, however, that once she hears of her lover’s arrest, she will come to try and save him. The spy urges Gérard to prepare the denunciation of Chénier so he can be brought to trial at once. 6 Gérard is moved by conflicting emotions. As much as he wants to get rid of his rival, he knows the treason charge he is spelling out is fraudulent. He bitterly admits, as he signs the indictment, that his revolutionary zeal, once fed by noble ideals, is now kept alive by jealousy and lust.
L’Incredibile takes the document and goes into another room just as Maddalena enters. 7 Gérard tells her he has had Chénier arrested in order to find her, that he wants her for himself. Maddalena starts to run, then, turning back, offers herself in exchange for Chénier’s freedom. 8 She goes on to tell him of the horror her life has been since the Revolution started; only Bersi stood by her — until she found Chénier. His love saved her. 9 As people pour into the courtroom for the day’s trial, Gérard promises to do what he can.
10 The meeting of the Tribunal gets underway; several prisoners are disposed of quickly, and then the charges against Chénier are read. Unlike the others, he is allowed to defend himself, and he speaks eloquently of having served his country with both sword and pen. 12 Gérard now admits that the indictment is a pack of lies. He tries to put an end to the case, but the people pay little attention, shouting that he has been bribed. The judges retire, Gérard embraces Chénier and points out Maddalena, the sight of whom heartens the poet. A verdict is returned almost immediately: guilty, and the sentence of death is pronounced.
Act Four
The courtyard of the St Lazare Prison. It is night. 13 Awaiting execution, Chénier sits writing. 14 He reads his new verses to Roucher who stands nearby. 15 As the two friends part, Gérard and Maddalena arrive at the prison. Preferring death with her lover to life without him, Maddalena bribes the jailer to allow her to take the place of another woman condemned to die, ldia Legray. The lovers embrace, and Gérard hurries off to Robespierre to try and save them both. 16 –17 Dawn comes; the tumbrel is drawn up to the prison gate; the names of Andrea Chénier and ldia Legray are called out; and the poet and Maddalena walk out for the ride to the guillotine.