Il tabarro
Michele and his wife Giorgetta live on a barge in the river Seine. Michele watches as the stevedores finish their work for the day. As they walk past the barge, Giorgetta has a private conversation with Luigi. Giorgetta plans a secret meeting for late that night. Michele watches, but says nothing. He is convinced that his wife is having an affair. Later that evening, Luigi mistakes the light from Michele’s pipe as a sign from Giorgetta. As Luigi boards the barge, he encounters Michele who strangles him to death. After he has killed Luigi, Michele hides the body under a cloak (tabarro in Italian). When Giorgetta comes home, Michele removes the cloak, revealing her lover’s dead body.

Suor Angelica
The nuns are all happily doing their chores with the exception of Sister Angelica. Her family has ignored Sister Angelica for several years. Unexpectedly, her aunt, a princess, arrives at the convent. Angelica is eager to see a member of her family and rushes to her. The princess coldly tells Angelica that the reason that she was sent to the convent and rejected by her family was because of her illegitimate child. Her aunt did not come to the convent to make amends, but rather to inform Angelica that her child was dead. Angelica is crushed. She drinks poison, hoping to die and be reunited with her child. She then remembers that suicide is a sin punishable by damnation, which would leave her separated from her child. Angelica prays to the Virgin Mary, who appears, holding Angelica’s child to lead the dying sister to heaven.

Gianni Schicchi
Buoso Donati has died. His greedy family hears that he has left his rather large estate to the church. As the family frantically searches the home for the will, Rinuccio finds it. He promises to read the will to the family, if they will agree to him marrying Lauretta, the daughter of Gianni Schicchi. They agree and he reads the will, which confirms their fears. Rinnucio suggests that the let the wily Schicchi help fix the problem. Lauretta pleads with him to help the family, by pretending to be Buoso. Schicchi agrees to be Buoso, rewrite the will, and have a notary sign it. He makes the family swear to never tell a soul about the rewritten will. When the notary comes, Schicchi writes the new will, bequeathing Buoso’s estate to his friend “Gianni Schicchi”. The notary has left. Schicchi kicks the family out of this new house. Rinuccio and Lauretta sing about their happy love. Schicchi proudly admires the way Buoso spent his money.

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Il tabarro

Foto Franco Lannino ©Studio Camera