Andrea Chenier: Aria (soprano): La mamma morta (excerpt)

Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) wrote the four-act verismo opera Andrea Ch?nier in 1896, and it remains his best-known work. It premiered on March 28, 1896, at La Scala in Milan. Loosely based on the life of French poet Andr? Ch?nier, the libretto by Luigi Illica sets the story of love and class conflict with the French Revolution as a backdrop. While the tenor playing the title character has numerous wonderful arias, perhaps the most popular is the soprano aria La mamma morta, sung by Maddalena, the daughter of a Duchess, as she describes everything she has lost to the Revolution, including her own mother. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(2): Harp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set).