In his libretto for Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, Luigi Illica puts into the mouth of Carlo Gérard — once a servant, now a revolutionary hero — a phrase that originated with the Girondiste Vergniaud, executed in 1793: ‘The Revolution devours its own children.’ This prominent quotation reflects the essence of the opera’s plot. First performed at La Scala, Milan, in 1896, the work presents a powerful historical panorama that shows how the French Revolution became radicalized, turning on individuals who had shared and supported its ideals. Among them was the poet André Chénier (1762—94), who is introduced into the opera as a guest at an aristocratic ball in 1789. In this decadent atmosphere, evoked musically by rococo allusions, Chénier dares to decry the social injustices of the ancien régime, sparking outrage among the company but making an impression on his hostess’s daughter Maddalena and the rebellious servant Carlo Gérard. After a leap in time of five years we encounter these three figures in radically altered circumstances. In her famous aria ‘La mamma morta’, Maddalena relates how family and fortune were taken from her, and that only her faith in love, to which Chénier once opened her eyes, is keeping her alive. However, Chénier is unable to provide the protection she seeks from him: as a critic of Robespierre’s reign of terror, he too is in jeopardy. Even Gérard emerges as a victim of the political situation: after shying away at the last moment from exploiting his current powerful position in order to bend Maddalena, whom he passionately desires, to his will, he remorsefully attempts to save the imprisoned Chénier from the guillotine — but in vain.

Giordano brings the Revolution to life as the real driver of the action in large-scale tableaux, giving them a touch of historical authenticity by incorporating genuine revolutionary songs into the score. Andrea Chénier made its young composer one of the leading representatives of musical verismo; it was to remain his most successful opera.