Giacomo Puccini

Suor Angelica: Amici fiori

SUOR ANGELICA (SISTER ANGELICA) is a one-act opera by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). The second opera in a trio known as Il trittico (The Triptych), each one dealing with the concealment of a death, the work premiered at the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918. It tells the story of a 17th century nun, Angelica, who has been placed in a convent by her family, whom she has not seen for seven years. Her sister, the Princess, arrives after all this time to ask Angelica to sign away her inheritance. Angelica refuses to do so, not for herself, but for her son whose birth was the reason for her being placed in the convent. Her sister then informs her that her son had died two years previously. "Amici Fiori" (Flower Friends) was the original aria intended to be sung by Angelica, a listing of the flowers she will use to make a poison so that she may join her son in Heaven. One of Puccini's boldest and most beautiful harmonic ventures, bordering on atonality, most sopranos omitted it early on, despite Puccini's pleas to include it. The aria has since been completely removed from the opera. Michael Kaye has edited this abandoned aria to include both the original and revised versions. Instrumentation: 2.1+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp.Perc(1): Hp.Clst: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Sop Solo.