About the work
Cyrano de Bergerac is an opera in four acts by Franco Alfano, with a French libretto by Henri Cain based on Edmond Rostand's verse play of the same name. Alfano composed the work from 1933; it premiered on 22 January 1936 at the Teatro Reale in Rome, sung in Italian translation, conducted by Tullio Serafin with Maria Caniglia and José Luccioni in the leading roles.
Plot
The eloquent Cyrano, tormented by self-doubt over his enormous nose, loves his cousin Roxane but helps the handsome, tongue-tied Christian win her by lending him love letters and words. Only years later, as he lies dying, does Cyrano confess to Roxane that the words had always been his own.
Cultural significance
Alfano, previously known for completing Puccini's Turandot, regarded this opera as his most personal late work; after its premiere it fell into decades of neglect and was rediscovered only through later revivals, including at the Metropolitan Opera.