There is no doubt that opera audiences have come to enjoy the double and sometimes triple bill of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi alongside his other works as part of Il Trittico.

But that usual pairing of the works, written as a set by Puccini, is being eschewed by Calgary Opera for their upcoming April performances as the dark fantasy of Bluebeard’s Castle is paired alongside the comedy of Gianni Schicchi.

That combination, said internationally renowned baritone Giuseppe Altomare—whom is playing both Bluebeard and Gianni Schicchi in the double bill—is entirely novel. Doubly so for Altomare, who recently performed Il Trittico in Trieste, in February.

“Psychologically, you start from some from from deep, heavy and strong and some magical emotion from Bluebeard, then to something that is lighter from one side that brings you, always your mind, to think about life. But in a lighter way,” Altomare said.

“You start from something heavy and you conclude, you close your evening having fun, laughing, because Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera really, and what we are doing is we will bring the people to laugh all the time.”

Altomare said the connections between the two were really about love.

“For the audience, it is a great combination,” he said.

That was something echoed by stage director Alain Gauthier, who has also worked with companies across the globe.

“Our guide for the visual portrayal of these highly contrasted works will be to create two completely different universes: a mysterious, dreamy and symbolic environment for Bluebeard’s Castle, and a more joyous, humorous and realistic setup for Gianni Schicchi,” Gauthier said.

“With the collaboration of the multi-talented Scott Reid – who oversees the lighting, projections, and scenography – we intend to bring the audience two very distinct but absolutely exciting journeys. I really enjoy the challenge of directing a large cast for most of the piece. It demands a lot of preparation but also creativity, leadership, and collaboration.”

Dark and light, but always about love in double bill

In Bluebeard’s Castle, a newly married Judith discovers the locked doors of the castle of her husband Duke Bluebeard, and pleads with him to have them opened. Discovering that they house secrets about his former wives, she delves deeper into the mystery until finding the bittersweet truth.

“It’s not really a tragedy, but the end is really sad, especially for the Bluebeard, because he started to have this strong love for Judith. At the end that the opera, it ends with his words that tell that it will be always night. That means that his love is that,” said Altomare.

Gianni Schicchi, on the other hand, is a much more comedic opera that draws both from the story of Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte.

Peasant Schicchi is enlisted by the late Buoso Donati’s aristocratic family to alter his will, but ends up playing a trick on their greed to find his own true love.

“It is not a normal comedy that you have in movies. This is that higher level where the people that write comedies bring the daily life to a higher level in the theatre, as a theatre piece that is committed a laughter,” said Altomare.

“This is a history… but it could happen in, and happens normally in our lives.”

He said that the combination of the two operas was like waking from a dream and stepping into reality, but in a symbolic way, Bluebeard isn’t just a dream for the audience.

The role is the first time that Altomare has had a chance anywhere in the world to take on the role.

“I always tell a joke as for 35 years, as I eat and my family with me with my voice—and I sang a lot of roles, but never Bluebeard,” Altomare said.

The double bill though, he said, was a challenge as a performer. But one he was relishing to take on after his run in Calgary as Macbeth in 2023, who played the titular character on stage as part Calgary Opera’s 50th season.

“This is the challenge for a performer, because I will have just maybe half an hour to change from one role to the other, because we close with Bluebeard, have maybe a 20 minute break between the two operas, and then, and then I come on the stage at 10 minutes after the beginning from Schicchi,” he said.

“You have read to totally change mind and attitude, to come on stage, because the roles are really two opposites.”

He said it was going to be a treat for Calgary audiences to get to see the full range of performances from the singers taking on double roles for the two operas.

Tickets are on sale now for Calgary Opera’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Gianni Schicchi, playing on April 5, 9, and 11 at the Southern Jubilee Auditorium.

For more information and box office sales, see www.calgaryopera.com/bluebeard-schicchi.