Riccardo Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini

Riccardo Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini is a four-act opera set during the Renaissance period. The plot concerns an arranged marriage between Francesca and Giovanni, also known as Gianciotto, who is impersonated by his handsome brother Paolo, and with whom Francesca falls passionately in love. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Italian Tristan’, the opera ends in betrayal and a double murder. The production of this rarely performed opera from the Deutsche Oper Berlin proved to be a huge critical success.

The piece can certainly boast a fascinating score that reveals the composer’s extraordinary technical skills, with their combination of opulence and refined sensuality influenced by Debussy and Richard Strauss; here it finds an ideal interpreter in the shape of conductor Carlo Rizzi. — BBC Music Magazine, April 2022