Gianni Schicchi, SCORE for Chamber Ensemble (13-15 players)

Gianni Schicchi, the only comic opera by Giacomo Puccini, is based on a brief episode from Dante’s Inferno. The opera, written as the final installment of Puccini’s triptych Il Trittico, tells the story of a cunning Florentine commoner who outwits greedy aristocrats to secure a future for his daughter. Despite its brevity—under an hour—Gianni Schicchi combines razor-sharp wit with emotional poignancy, particularly in the beloved aria “O mio babbino caro.” It remains a gem of 20th-century opera and a favorite with audiences.

Schicchi for Chamber Orchestra (18-28 players)

Puccini scored Gianni Schicchi for a large orchestra: full strings, woodwinds in pairs, horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, harp, celesta, and percussion. While the full orchestra includes around 60 players, the one-act structure and chamber-like ensemble writing allow for reduced orchestrations, commonly used in smaller opera houses. The compact form and tight dramatic pacing make Gianni Schicchi an ideal opera for touring productions, student performances, or comedic interludes in a mixed bill. Schicchi for Chamber Orchestra is under preparation and will require:

• Flute with piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon
• (French) Horn, trumpet
• Optional trombone
• 1-2 percussionists: timpani, triangle, snare & bass drum, cymbals, low bell
• A keyboard for celesta, harp (and low bell)
• String orchestra
• 3-6 first violins
• 3-6 second violins
• 2-3 violas
• 1-2 cellos
• 1 bass