About the work
Commedia lirica in four acts by Ruggero Leoncavallo after the play "Zazà" by Pierre Berton and Charles Simon; the libretto was written by Leoncavallo together with Carlo Zangarini. Arturo Toscanini conducted the premiere on 10 November 1900 at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, with Rosina Storchio in the title role.
Plot
The variety singer Zazà falls in love with the Parisian businessman Milio Dufresne without knowing he is married. When she discovers the truth, she gives him up for the sake of his family.
Cultural significance
Leoncavallo blended opera, operetta and dance music in the score, yet the work never achieved lasting success, partly because Zazà’s renunciation gives the plot little cathartic force. It largely fell into obscurity and is only rarely revived today.