Decadent and Sarcastic

Nearly four years ago, I reviewed quite extensively the concert production of the double bill Eine florentinische Tragödie by Alexander Zemlinsky and Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini as it was offered in Rome by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (A top notch Formation, 21 April 2010). The two one-act operas have two things in common: they were composed almost at the same time and they both refer to Florence between the end of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the Renaissance. They are very different both dramatically and musically. Based on an (incomplete) Oscar Wilde play, Eine florentinische Tragödie is a decadent late romantic piece of music drama for an oversized orchestra and three singers with an imperviously taxing role for the baritone...