Il segreto di Susanna (English: Susanna's Secret, German: Susannens Geheimnis) is an intermezzo in one act by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to an Italian libretto by Enrico Golisciani. The opera premiered in 1909 and is the most frequently performed of all of Wolf-Ferrari's works. The overture of the work has become a well known concert piece.The opera tells the story of a husband who suspects his wife is having an affair after discovering she smells like cigarettes; only later to discover that her secret is that she is a smoker. Musicologist John C.G. Waterhouse, wrote the following: "Il segreto di Susanna owes its success partly to its disarming simplicity. Lasting barely 45 minutes, with only two singing characters, it is conveniently cheap to produce; and the slender but distinctive idea of the libretto, combined with the elegant if rather miscellaneous charm of the music, has an obvious appeal which even subsequent cancer research has not seriously undermined."[1]
While initially written in Italian, the premiere performance of Il segreto di Susanna was given in the German language using a translation by Max Kalbeck, at the Hoftheater in Munich on 4 December 1909.[1] The most frequently performed of all of Wolf-Ferrari's works, the overture of the opera has become a well known concert piece.[1] The United States premiere of the opera took place at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on March 14, 1911 with a performance in the Italian language. Presented at the Met by Andreas Dippel's touring Philadelphia-Chicago Grand Opera Company, the production starred Carolina White as Susanna, Mario Sammarco as Count Gil and the Italian tenor Francesco Daddi in the silent role of Sante.[2][3]
In 1976 the opera was revived at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with a production starring Maria Chiara and Bernd Weikl. The production was recorded and released on disc by Decca Records.[7]
A new production of the opera was staged at La Fenice in 2016.[8]
A much celebrated new production of the opera was staged at Opera Holland Park in 2019, directed by John Wilkie with Clare Presland, Richard Burkhard, and John Savournin performing the roles. John Andrews conducted the City of London Sinfonia. The production was nominated in the ‘Best Production’ category at the International Opera Awards. It will return in the summer of 2024[9]
Count Gil returns home suspecting that he has seen his wife, Susanna, walking alone in the street, something he had forbidden her to do after their wedding. He is relieved when he discovers that she is playing the piano in the living room. However, it was indeed the countess whom he had seen but she returned home shortly before her husband.
Gil's happiness is short-lived. The room smells of tobacco, and he is surprised since he does not smoke and neither does Susanna, nor the servant, Sante. Suddenly a horrible thought strikes him: is it possible that Susanna is unfaithful to him with a smoker? He speaks with his wife and is soon ashamed of having such suspicions. Gil wants to hug Susanna, but he notices that the tobacco smell comes from Susanna's clothes. She finally admits to having a secret, but does not want to tell him what it is. Gil becomes angry and starts to turn the house upside-down after she locks herself in her bedroom. Finally, as Gil is leaving the house to go to his club, she brings him his umbrella. He softens, they become reconciled, and he exits.
As soon as he leaves the house, she closes the door and opens the small packet she gave to Sante when she came home. She takes out a cigarette and the two smoke. That is her secret! But while she is smoking with Sante, Gil comes back. Smelling the tobacco he starts to search the house for Susanna's lover on the pretext of looking for the umbrella he forgot. Having no success, Gil furiously goes out again and Susanna lights a second cigarette. Once more Gil enters and, this time, he is sure that he will catch her in the act. Trying to seize her hand, he gets burned thus finally unveiling her secret. They forgive each other and swear eternal love while smoking together.
Wolf-Ferrari, E.; Kalbeck, Max (1911). Suzanne's Secret / Il secreto di Susanna (Libretto in Italian and English). Translated by Claude Aveling. New York: Frederick Rullman/G. Schirmer. p. 6.
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