Grange Park Opera

A colourful community has chosen an unconventional life that espouses a freedom beyond social norms.  Amongst them is an outsider, the brooding  Aleko, who has abandoned his own people to his passion for  Zemfira.  There is an ominous foreboding that such a love will be his downfall.

Zemfira’s father tells the story of his own life. He had a wife, whom he loved deeply.  She deserted him for another man, leaving behind their small daughter.  The story shocks and scares Aleko, he is outraged that the old man didn’t seek the pleasure of revenge.

Zemfira disagrees.  For her, as for her mother, love is free.

The old man warns Aleko not to expect Zemfira to be faithful.

Zemfira has, indeed, tired of Aleko’s possessiveness and has a young lover.  They have an evening tryst and she returns to put her child to sleep with a lullaby.  The words of the song are designed to taunt Aleko.

Alone,  Aleko contemplates the catastrophe of his existence and the failure of his attempt to flee the ordinary world.

Zemfira spends the night with her young lover and the dawn heralds disaster.  Aleko catches them and kills them both.

The Old Man tells him to leave.  Though they live beyond the law, they do not judge, do not torture, do not kill.  They spare  Aleko his life but cast him out.

“Grief, anguish, once again alone” sings Aleko.

The Donatis are old money.

Buoso Donati, the family head, has died and his greedy relatives gather around desperate to see how much money he has left them.

It is his poor-relation, brother-in-law Betto, who mentions a rumour that Buoso has left everything to a monastery.  They search high and low but can’t find the will.

It is young Rinuccio who finds it and won’t let anyone see it unless his aunt allows him to marry Lauretta.  The trouble is this: the Donati family look down on Lauretta. Her father, Gianni Schicchi (Bryn Terfel), is a newcomer.

However, they agree to the marriage because they just want their money. They read the will. It is true. The monks get everything. The Donatis are dumbfounded.

Rinuccio pipes up that Gianni Schicchi is always brimming with ideas so he is the man to sort this out.

Lauretta arrives with her father who hates the Donati’s snobbishness and tries to leave. Eventually, for the sake of his daughter – who has sung him Puccini’s most famous aria O mio babbino caro – he has a big think and devises an ingenious plan; he will impersonate the dead man and write a new will.

What follows is comic genius.