About the work
Opera in three acts by Umberto Giordano to a libretto by Luigi Illica, first performed on 19 December 1903 at La Scala in Milan. The action moves from early 19th-century St Petersburg to a Siberian penal camp.
Plot
The courtesan Stephana secretly loves the young lieutenant Vassili. When her jealous patron, Prince Alexis, discovers the two together, Vassili kills him in a duel and is exiled to Siberia. Stephana follows him into exile of her own accord; during a joint escape attempt from the camp she is shot by the guards and dies in Vassili's arms.
Cultural significance
Despite a strong cast, the premiere had a rather cool reception; only later performances in Genoa, Paris, New York and elsewhere brought the work respectable success. Giordano revised the score in 1927 for a new production at La Scala, and Siberia is now regarded as a characteristic example of the Giovane Scuola grouped around Puccini and Mascagni.