Florence, 13th century. A wealthy Florentine Buoso Donati has just died, leaving behind a large inheritance. Many of his relatives gather at the deceased’s estate, overwhelmed with hope to get a generous share. They play out a mourning scene, full of hypocritical regret, but behind their masks hides impatience. Everyone dreams of getting their piece of the wealth. At the head of this group are his cousin Zita, who assumes she is the main heiress, and her nephew Rinuccio, dreaming of using the inheritance to marry Lauretta, the daughter of the commoner Gianni Schicchi. At this tense moment, it is revealed that Buoso’s will does not leave anything to his relatives. He left everything to the monastery.
Confusion and panic overcome the relatives, and they decide to act. Rinuccio suggests seeking help from the extremely cunning and resourceful Gianni Schicchi.
Schicchi arrives and instantly sees through the situation with his sharp mind. He openly mocks the greed of the relatives but agrees to help, realising that he could also take advantage. A cunning plan is born in his head: he will disguise himself as sick Buoso and dictate a new will to the notary, which will be convenient for everyone.
Everything goes according to plan. When the notary arrives, Gianni, as a true actor, pretends to be seriously ill Buoso. While dictating the will and distributing the inheritance among the relatives, he suddenly leaves the most valuable property, a house in Florence, a mill and a famous mule to himself. The relatives are stunned and shocked by such trickery. However, they are forced to remain silent because if the deception is revealed, it will put all of them at the centre of a scandal that threatens everyone with the strict punishment for fraud – imprisonment.
As soon as the notary leaves the house, everyone explodes. The Buoso family, like a pack of angry predators, rushes to take all they can: furniture, jewellery, dishes, carpets… In a mad rush, they try to take at least something valuable out of the house before everything becomes the property of Gianni Schicchi. He watches all this commotion with an ironic smile, knowing he has won the game. His daughter Lauretta is happy because nothing can prevent her marriage to Rinuccio now. She looks with love at her father, who decided to carry out this con for the sake of her happiness.
When the last relative disappears, carrying some trifle under his arm, with a sly gleam in his eyes and humour in his voice, Gianni turns to the audience. He jokingly justifies his doings since what else is there to do when there are so many fools and hypocrites in front of you? In this cunning deception, he found not only a way to benefit himself but also to give a gift of happiness to two loving hearts. “If Dante could have seen my deed,” says Gianni Schicchi, “he would perhaps have changed his opinion about me in his Divine Comedy.”
Opera in one act. Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano.
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), a great Italian composer, in 1918 wrote “Triptych” (Il Trittico), an opera consisting of three one-act parts: the tragedy “Il Tabarro” (The Cloak), the lyrical drama “Suor Angelica” (Sister Angelica) and the comedy “Gianni Schicchi”. “I wanted to create something that would reflect the whole life: its tragedy, spirituality and humour”, stated the composer. The premiere took place on December 14, 1918, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and surprised the audience with its ability to skilfully combine deep drama, touching spirituality and subtle humour.