Suor Angelica
Giacomo Puccini
Summer 2023
Introduction
During the 2023 summer season, a film of Puccini’s Suor Angelica was created on location.
Puccini’s Trittico is made up of three short operas, each concerning the concealment of a death: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi.
He intended the three to be performed as a set and was angry when only two years after the premiere, Covent Garden performed Tabarro and Schicchi without Angelica. In a letter to his friend Sybil Seligman he protests: “I very much dislike Trittico being given in bits.”
The detailed stage directions for Suor Angelica can seldom be fulfilled on stage. For example, the donkey. In 1918, the beast of burden was seen in town and country; its appearance in the opera was not an outlandish requirement. For the film, the donkey is not yet cast but we are confident one will appear.
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A one act opera
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
Music: Giacomo Puccini
Libretto: Giovacchino Forzano
First performance: 14 December 1918, Metropolitan Opera, New York
UK première: 18 June 1920, Covent Garden
Life in the convent is observant yet humourous. For the white-robed nuns, work is a celebration of life and daily tasks are fulfilled with joy.
Sister Angelica, however, hovers on the edge of the community. The dark shadow of her past is revealed by her aunt, a Princess.
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Since lockdown, we have created films of Owen Wingrave, L’heure Espagnol, Feast in the Time of Plague and Gianni Schicchi. There have been 8,000+ views and Gianni Schicchi was shortlisted for the Digital Prize at the International Opera Awards.
Cast & Creatives
SISTER ANGELICA ∙ AILISH TYNAN
THE PRINCESS, Sister Angelica’s aunt ∙ SARA FULGONI
ABBESS ∙ SARA FULGONI / MARIE VEEDER
ZELATRICE, monitor ∙ REBECCA STOCKLAND
MISTRESS OF THE NOVICES ∙ BEATRICE DUPUY
SUOR GENEVIÈVE ∙ AMY STRACHAN
SUOR OSMINA ∙ KATIE MACDONALD
SUOR DOLCINA ∙ ALISON DUNNE
LAY SISTERS∙ MYRNA TENNANT & HELEN STANLEY
SISTERS BRINGING ALMS ∙ OLIVIA TRINGHAM & KARLA GRANT
NOVICES ∙ FIONA JOICE & STEPHANIE POROPAT
A SISTER ∙ CATRIN WOODRUFF
SOUR ANGELICA’S CHILD ∙ TED COMBER
MUSIC DIRECTOR ∙ CHRISTOPHER HOPKINS
CINEMATOGRAPHER ∙ DANIEL ZAFER
SOUND ∙ TOM MARSHALL
CO-DIRECTOR ∙ WASFI KANI
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