The strongest link between Puccini’s one-act operas might be formulated as variations on the subject of death. The drama of the milieu (Il Tabarro), the study of the soul (Suor Angelica) and the burlesque (Gianni Schicchi) all deal with different aspects of death. The stories take place in Paris, a convent in Italy and in Florence. Il Tabarro depicts a miserable life of the man named Michele, who is led to revenge and murder by his wife’s infidelity. As a lyrical counterbalance, Suor Angelica takes us to a convent in which a tragic destiny of a nun ends up with a mystic transfiguration and death. With the false identity and persiflage, Gianni Schicchi apparently supports the family plan to keep the wealth of the deceased in their hands, but he tricks them all by assigning the lagerst portion of the inheritance to himself.

One-act operas which make up The Triptych have always been imagined to be performed together. Puccini finished them in 1918 and they represent the true masterpieces three impressionist studies of character, completely different from the conventional operas of their time. The French director Arnaud Bernard and his associates, the set designer Emmanuelle Favre and the costume designer Carla Ricotti, have created an excellent show, worthy of the composer’s birth anniversary.