Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilea - Act 1 and 2 - PromFest 2025

Описание: Musical Director and Conductor – Erki Pehk
Stage Director – Marta Aliide Jakovski
Set and Costume Designer – Madis Nurms
Choreography – Kristina Želvienė
Lighting Designer – Monika Šerstabojevaitė
Assistant conductor – Virgilijus Visockis
Stage Director's Assistant – Svetlana Gudukienė

Adriana – Gabrielė Bukinė (soprano)
Maurizio – Eusebiu Huțan (tenor)
Princess de Bouillon – Jovita Vaškevičiūtė (mezzo-soprano)
Michonnet – Adrian Janus (baritone)
Prince de Bouillon – Žygimantas Galinis (bass)
Abbé de Chazeuil – Žanas Voronovas (tenor)
Mademoiselle Jouvenot – Ingrida Kažemėkaitė (soprano)
Mademoiselle Dangeville – Rita Preikšaitė (mezzo-soprano)
Poisson – Povilas Padleckis (tenor)
Quinault – Regimantas Gabšys (bass)


The orchestra and chorus of the Kaunas State Music Theatre
Chorus master – Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė
Concertmaster of the orchestra – Povilas Grigas

Performed in Italian
Subtitles in English and Estonian
Premiere on September 11, 2025, at Kaunas State Musical Theatre, Lithuania

Act 1
Backstage, actors prepare for an evening’s performance. Stage manager Michonnet manages the chaos while quietly adoring the company’s star, Adriana Lecouvreur. The Prince de Bouillon and his companion, the Abbé, arrive; the Prince is infatuated with another actress, Duclos, but also flatters Adriana. Adriana appears, reciting her lines, and declares her devotion to her art. She greets Michonnet warmly, unaware of his feelings, and confides that she is in love with a humble soldier named Maurizio.
Left alone, Adriana is joined by Maurizio - who is in fact the Count of Saxony, though she does not know it. They pledge their love, and she gives him a bunch of violets as a token. Meanwhile, the Prince intercepts a secret letter from Duclos arranging a late-night meeting with “Constance” at a riverside villa. Suspecting her lover’s infidelity, he schemes to expose her at a party. The Prince has the letter delivered to Maurizio. Unable to meet Adriana later, Maurizio hastily writes her an explaining note.
During the performance, the note is delivered onstage in place of a prop letter, and Adriana reads it mid-scene, her visible emotion mistaken for brilliant acting. After the curtain call, the Prince invites everyone to a midnight banquet, hinting that the “hero of Saxony” will be present. He gives Adriana a key to the villa - setting the stage for the tangled intrigues to come.

Act 2
At a riverside villa kept for the actress Duclos, the Princess de Bouillon waits for her lover, Maurizio. He arrives wearing Adriana’s violets, which he gallantly offers to the Princess when she remarks on them. She warns him that his political enemies may soon have him arrested and urges him to stay with her, pressing him to name his new love. He refuses, admitting that while his feelings for her have cooled, he remains grateful for her past help. When the Prince de Bouillon is seen approaching, Maurizio hides the Princess in a closet to protect her from scandal. The Prince and his companion, the Abbé, misinterpret the situation, assuming Maurizio is meeting Duclos.
Adriana arrives, astonished to learn that Maurizio is the Count of Saxony. He reassures her of his love, but their meeting is interrupted as people arrive for a party. The Abbé hints that Duclos is hiding nearby, and Adriana tries to investigate, but Maurizio and Michonnet block her. Michonnet confirms someone else is concealed in the darkened closet and that she seeks his help to escape unseen. Deciding to protect the stranger, Adriana turns off the lights and quietly gives her the garden key.
In the darkness, the hidden woman - actually the Princess - realises Adriana is her rival for Maurizio’s love, and both women vow to discover and destroy the other. Before Adriana can summon the Prince to reveal her, the Princess slips away through a secret door, leaving behind a bracelet.