大象传媒

ACT I. Spring, 1789, at the Ch芒teau de Coigny near Paris. G茅rard, servant to the Countess de Coigny, mocks the aristocracy and their manners. Observing his father struggle with a piece of furniture, G茅rard laments the suffering of all servants under their arrogant masters (鈥淪on sessant鈥檃nni鈥�). Maddalena, the Countess鈥檚 daughter, appears and G茅rard realizes how much he loves her. Busy with preparations for a soir茅e that evening, the Countess scolds Maddalena for not yet being dressed. Maddalena complains to her servant, Bersi, about the discomfort of the current fashions and then runs out to change. Among the guests to arrive is Fl茅ville, a novelist, who has brought with him the rising poet Andrea Ch茅nier. After the Abb茅 relates the latest depressing news from Paris, Fl茅ville enlivens the party with a pastorale he has written for the occasion. Maddalena then teases a reluctant Ch茅nier into improvising a poem (鈥淯n d矛 all鈥檃zzurro spazio鈥�). Ch茅nier scandalizes the guests with his criticism of the indifference of the clergy and the aristocracy to the suffering of the impoverished. The guests鈥� gavotte is interrupted by G茅rard, who brings in a group of starving peasants. The Countess orders G茅rard out along with the rabble. The guests are then invited to return to the gavotte, but they depart instead, and the Countess is left alone.

听

ACT II. Spring, 1794, along the Cours-la-Reine in Paris. The Revolution has begun, and the Reign of Terror is in full force. To fend off the Incredibile, a spy, Bersi pretends to be a daughter of the Revolution (鈥淭emer? Perch猫?鈥�). The Incredibile is not deceived and notices that Ch茅nier is waiting for someone in the Caf茅 Hottot. Ch茅nier is joined by his friend Roucher, who has brought a passport so that Ch茅nier may leave the country safely. Ch茅nier says his destiny is to remain to find the love he has never had and to discover who has been writing him anonymous letters (鈥淐redo a una possanza arcana鈥�). A procession of dignitaries led by G茅rard interrupts their conversation. The Incredibile takes G茅rard aside to ask about the woman he is looking for. G茅rard describes Maddalena to him. Meanwhile, Bersi asks Ch茅nier to wait at the caf茅 for someone who wants to meet him. Maddalena appears and reveals to Ch茅nier that it was she who wrote the letters. They pledge to love each other until death (鈥淥ra soave鈥�). The Incredibile, having seen Ch茅nier and Maddalena together, brings G茅rard to the scene. G茅rard is wounded as Ch茅nier defends Maddalena. G茅rard, however, recognizes Ch茅nier and sends him away, asking him to protect Maddalena. When the gathering crowd asks who wounded G茅rard, he answers that his assailant was unknown.

听

ACT III. July 24, 1794, in the courtroom of the Revolutionary Tribunal. Mathieu, a revolutionary, is unsuccessfully urging the crowd to donate to the cause. G茅rard, recovered from his wound, makes an impassioned plea for the motherland. Madelon, an old woman who has already lost her son and a grandson in the war, offers her last grandson as a soldier (鈥淪on la vecchia Madelon鈥�). As the crowd disperses, the Incredibile appears. If G茅rard wants to have Maddalena, the Incredibile insists, he must first arrest her lover, Ch茅nier. As G茅rard writes the accusation, he is filled with remorse at the bloodshed he has caused in his rise to power. He concedes that his new master is passion (鈥淣emico della patria鈥�). No sooner does he hand Ch茅nier鈥檚 indictment to the court clerk than Maddalena appears. G茅rard admits that he has laid a trap for her and that he loves her. Maddalena offers herself to G茅rard if he will save Ch茅nier. She has been a fugitive, her mother was killed in the Revolution and their home was burned (鈥淟a mamma morta鈥�). Touched by her love for Ch茅nier, G茅rard promises to try to save him. The Tribunal convenes with an unruly mob in attendance. Ch茅nier pleads for his life (鈥淪矛, fui soldato鈥�) and G茅rard admits to the judges that the accusation he wrote was false. Nevertheless, Ch茅nier is sentenced to death and taken away.

听

ACT IV. July 25, 1794, in the ruins of Paris鈥� St. Lazare prison. Ch茅nier reads a final poem (鈥淐ome un bel d矛 di maggio鈥�) to his friend Roucher, who then bids him a final farewell. G茅rard and Maddalena are met by the jailer, Schmidt, whom Maddalena bribes with some jewels to allow her to take the place of another young woman sentenced to death. G茅rard leaves to once again plead Ch茅nier鈥檚 case with Robespierre. Maddalena tells Ch茅nier she is there to die with him. As the day dawns, they share one final moment together (鈥淰icino a te鈥�) before being taken to the guillotine.听