Mascagni, Pietro

Pietro Mascagni – Iris. Opera in three acts, Libretto by Luigi Illica

(b. Livorno, 7 December 1863 – d. Rome, 2 August 1945)

Characters:
Iris, a young girl (soprano); Osaka, a wealthy nobleman (tenor); Kyoto, owner of a geisha house (baritone); Il Cieco, the blind father of Iris (bass); Dhia, a puppet character (soprano); Una guècha (soprano); Un merciaiuolo, a pedlar (tenor); Un cenciaiuolo, a ragpicker (tenor); La Bellezza, La Morte, Il Vampiro (dancers).
Chorus: Laundry girls, pedlars, ragpickers, strolling players, acrobats, samurai, citizens.

Orchestration:
2 Flutes+Piccolo, 2 Oboes+Cor Anglais, 2 Clarinets+Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoon+Contrabassoon;
4 Horns; 3 Trumpets; 3 Trombones+Bass Trombone;
Timpani; Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Cymbal, Giuoco di Tam-Tams (13 tuned Tam-Tams A2–A3, hung on 2 racks), Grand Tam-Tam, Japanese Bells; Triangle, Tambourine; 2 Harps; Strings.
On-stage: Fife; 4 Cornets, 4 Trombones; 2 small Japanese Tam-Tams; 2 Japanese Timpani; Harp II; Shamisen.
Setting:
Legendary Japan.

Duration:
127 minutes.

Premiere:
22 November, 1898; Rome; Teatro Costanzi.
Cast: Hericlea Darclée (Iris); Fernando De Lucia (Osaka); Guglielmo Caruson (Kyoto); Giuseppe Tisci Rubini (Il Cieco); Fausta Labia (Dhia); Tilde Milanesi (Una guècha); Eugenio Grossi (Un merciaiuolo); Piero Schiavazzi (Un cenciaiuolo); Pietro Mascagni (conductor).

Synopsis

Act One
Outside the little cottage belonging to Iris and her blind father.

An orchestral depiction of night giving way to dawn leads to a chorus representing the sun whose rays give warmth, life and love to every living thing (Son Io la Vita!). …

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