Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica) Cover Image

Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica): High Voice, Orchestra Accompaniment, Score and Parts

$70.00 USD
$70.00 USD
Skip to product information
Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica) Cover Image
Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica): High Voice, Orchestra Accompaniment, Score and Parts

Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica): High Voice, Orchestra Accompaniment, Score and Parts

By Giacomo Puccini, ed. Michael Kaye, Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano

Item: 36-A915402
$70.00
Shipped

One moment…

Related Items

Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica): High Voice, Orchestra Accompaniment, Full Score

$15.00
View
Description
SUOR ANGELICA (SISTER ANGELICA) is a one-act opera by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). The second opera in a trio known as Il trittico (The Triptych), each one dealing with the concealment of a death, the work premiered at the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918. It tells the story of a 17th century nun, Angelica, who has been placed in a convent by her family, whom she has not seen for seven years. Her aunt, the Princess, arrives after all this time to ask Angelica to sign away her inheritance. Angelica refuses to do so, not for herself, but for her son whose birth was the reason for her being placed in the convent. The Princess then informs her that her son had died two years previously. "Amici Fiori" (Flower Friends) was the original aria intended to be sung by Angelica, a listing of the flowers she will use to make a poison so that she may join her son in Heaven. One of Puccini's boldest and most beautiful harmonic ventures, bordering on atonality, most sopranos omitted it early on, despite Puccini's pleas to include it. The aria has since been completely removed from the opera. Michael Kaye has edited this abandoned aria to include both the original and revised versions. Instrumentation: 2.1+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp.Perc(1): Hp.Clst: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Sop Solo.

Suor Angelica: Amici fiori (Original and Revised Versions of the Abandoned Aria for Angelica): High Voice, Orchestra Accompaniment, Score and Parts isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Pages

No sample pages found.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Vocal Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
UPC: 735816446772
SKU: 36-A915402
Instrumentation: 2.1+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp.Perc(1): Hp.Clst: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Sop Solo

More about this title

About the Composer: Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) shaped Italian opera for the early 20th century through his gift for melody, dramatic orchestration, and acute sensitivity to the human voice. His operas—La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly—remain core repertoire because they balance lyrical beauty with genuine emotional weight, never sacrificing character for spectacle.

Puccini's harmonic language evolved significantly over his career. By the time he composed Il trittico in 1918, he was experimenting boldly with dissonance and chromatic harmony while maintaining the vocal lyricism that defined his style. "Amici fiori" showcases this late-period adventurousness: it stands as one of his most harmonically adventurous moments, a piece that challenged performers and audiences alike.

Why we love this

This aria offers sopranos and directors something rare: a Puccini piece that is simultaneously profound and unfamiliar. The harmonic language is genuinely forward-thinking for 1918, with quartal chords and chromatic voice-leading that surprise even experienced musicians. Performing this recovered work gives singers access to a moment of Puccini at his most experimental, and the dual versions allow performers to explore his original conception and later revisions in one score.

What to expect

Achingly beautiful yet unsettling, "Amici fiori" sits in a twilight space between Puccini's lush melodies and impressionistic harmony. The soprano's line floats over orchestration that shimmers and shifts; flowers become metaphors for surrender, and the music's gentle surface conceals genuine harmonic turbulence.

Who it's for

Advanced soprano soloists performing Puccini opera arias in recital or concert settings, and orchestras with the resources to mount a full pit performance of this recovered gem. This is material for singers who have solid Puccini experience and are ready to engage with his most harmonically complex writing.

How to get the most out of it

  • Study the orchestration carefully in rehearsal; Puccini's doubling and voice-leading are precise, and clarity between sections will shape how the soprano's line sits in the texture.
  • Balance the aria's harmonic ambiguity with vocal clarity. The harmonic language can sound murky if the soprano's legit delivery wavers; anchor every phrase with a steady, supported tone.
  • Work with the conductor to map the emotional arc across both versions. Comparing original and revised passages will reveal Puccini's own judgment about pacing and dramatic weight.
  • Pay close attention to the harp and celesta parts; they anchor the harmonic language and will support the soprano's intonation in the most dissonant passages.

How to use it

Program this in a concert devoted to Puccini's operatic arias, where its absence from the standard repertoire becomes part of the story. It pairs well with other dramatic soprano moments from La fanciulla del West or Il trittico, offering audiences a chance to hear a Puccini that most will never encounter in the opera house.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and performing atonal and quartal harmonic language within an otherwise tonal context
  • Sustaining pitch and tone quality over dissonant orchestration
  • Interpreting Puccini's late harmonic style and understanding his compositional evolution
  • Collaboration between soprano and conductor in managing complex rubato across unconventional harmonies

You May Also Like