Puccini was known for his tragic operas and melodic genius as well as his exploration of musical landscapes. And then “Gianni Schicchi” came along, showing the composer’s ability to expand beyond drama with one of the most important comedies in the repertoire. The title role became synonymous with numerous baritones as it gave them the ability to explore their versatility not only as singers, but also as actors.

Now Federico Longhi is set to bring the role to the Teatro Carlo Felice for the first time after receiving rave reviews as Schicchi over the past few years.

Longhi is no stranger to the role as he has done it at the Teatro Coccia and the Teatro Trieste and Lecce. He has admitted in an upcoming interview with OperaWire that the key to playing Gianni Schicchi is to follow Puccini’s music as he gives you a clear path to follow in interpreting the opera. The baritone also noted that he is excited to perform Schicchi in Genova because it is a theater where has performed numerous times to great success.

But perhaps what should make this production interesting is the fact that Rolando Panerai will direct; Panerai, of course, is a former well-known interpreter of “Gianni Schicchi.” It will undoubtedly see how a legendary singer works together with a current icon in the role to bring the character to new life.

For audiences who are not able to attend the Genova performances, Longhi reprises the role at the Teatro Filharmonico in Verona. He also sings in “Pagliacci” at the Teatro Regio di Palermo.

 Recordings

For those not familiar with the baritone, you can see him in a recording of “La Bohème’ with Daniela Dessi and Fabio Armiliato.

And here he is singing the first act scene of “Lucia di Lammermoor.”