Bluebeard’s Castle/Gianni Schicchi/em> Bartók/Puccini
Calgary Opera
Calgary, AB

In Bluebeard’s Castle, the newly-married Judith discovers seven locked doors in the castle of her husband, Duke Bluebeard, prompting her quest to uncover his dark and mysterious past, one door at a time.

 In Gianni Schicchi, the recently deceased aristocrat Buoso Donati has left a large inheritance to a monastery, and his greedy relatives must enlist the help of the clever peasant Gianni Schicchi to alter the will. When he does, it’s not quite what they had in mind.

 Premiering in 1918, amidst the aftermath of World War One and the Spanish Flu pandemic, these operas reflect the era’s disillusionment and existential questioning. Bluebeard’s Castle delves into the human psyche, while Gianni Schicchi combines comedy with the opera world’s most famous aria “O mio babbino caro.”