L’Amico Fritz – Pietro Mascagni
Opera
15 July 2025
To tell the tender rural idyll of Fritz, a wealthy landowner who is nevertheless reluctant to marry, and the adorable Suzel, who nevertheless manages to win his heart, Pietro Mascagni has composed a very fresh lyrical comedy.
A subtle and refined score, charged with emotion, that one listens to with rapturous pleasure while admiring its shimmering orchestration set with expressive contrasts. Intoxicating passages, including, in Act 2, the celebrated "Cherry Duet," one of the most seductive of all Mascagni's operas, whose sensuality extends into the Intermezzo, rich in a wide variety of instrumental nuances, a piece often chosen for concert performances.
This musical gem aroused the admiration of the famous English playwright George Bernard Shaw, who wrote of it during its London premiere: "I think I can sum up this work by saying that it has all the charms of a beautiful holiday." The prospect of a luminous musical summer thus awaits Opus Opéra Gattières, which will feature this work at its 36th festival.
Musical Direction: Barbara Dragan
Directed by: Jeanne Pansard-Besson