Puccini's Il Tabarro (Matinee Opera)

Set in Paris during the first years of the twentieth century, Il Tabarro's tightly focused plot centers on Michele, the owner of a barge moored on the Seine; his younger wife, Giorgetta, who no longer enjoys their nomadic river life and has taken up with a man her own age; and her lover, Luigi, who wants to settle down in Paris to a more stable workman's life -- hopefully with Giorgetta. As is typical of the grim verismo style, the outcome is unpleasant for these three characters. It's not all grim though; in the characters Frugola, Talpa, Tinca & the Song-vendor we find delightful comedy, as well as poignant sweetness in the two Lovers music.