from Act I of the Italian opera
Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano
Libretto: Luigi Illica
Role: Andrea Chénier, a poet
Voice Part: tenor Fach: spinto
Setting: The Ballroom in the Coigny's château
Synopsis: The Countess has asked Chénier to recite a poem but he refuses untill Maddalena asks him. He contrasts the beauty of nature with the evilness and misery created by man. He denounces those in authority as self-serving.