Eros and Thanatos – the forces of life and death – stand at the centre of these very different yet perfectly interwoven short operas. Like a distillation, the three works concentrate the dramatic power of a full-length opera. And the intoxicating effect they create can be enjoyed three times over in a single evening! The one-act operas transport us from the misty Seine in Paris to a remote convent in Tuscany and into the bustling city of Florence, each striking the heart in its own way.

There is the sombre story of a couple on a barge, estranged after a tragedy. A new love, jealousy and violence unfold within the most confined of spaces. Then there is the heartrending tale of a young nun who guards a secret and hopes in vain for forgiveness from her family. Will that forgiveness come from another, higher power?

And there is the mischievous tale of the trickster Gianni Schicchi, who sets out to outwit a group of even greater schemers – a family greedy for a rich inheritance! Lauretta’s famous aria to her beloved father, »babbino caro«, reveals that Schicchi acts only out of love for his daughter.

Light and shadow, secrets and revelations, natural and less natural deaths await us. Surrender to the intoxication!