Andrea Chénier

Andrea Chénier is an Italian opera in the verismo style with music by Italian composer Umberto Giordano. The opera is based on the life of 18th Century French poet, André Marie Chénier, who was executed for alleged "crimes against the state" during the French Revolution. Although Giordano's opera never truly reached the popularity of those by his more famous Italian contemporaries, Andrea Chénier is considered to be one of the greatest showpieces for the tenor vocal range, and has served to catapult many of Italy's greatest tenors into the limelight.