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Defined by Gabriel Faurè one of the most interesting and singular works of the musical panorama of the early twentieth century, Siberia by Umberto Giordano made its debut at La Scala on 19 December 1903. On that same dreaded stage, a few years earlier, the composer from Foggia had won the favor of the public with Andrea Chénier and now, having renewed the collaboration with Luigi Illica, he hoped to repeat that important success.

The subject of Siberia is original by Illica who was inspired by the great Russian literature, which was very fashionable at the time, and in particular by Tolstoy's Resurrection. The protagonist of the story is the courtesan Stephana - woman, lover and heroine - as the three acts in which the work is divided recite. The woman secretly loves the officer Vassili and when the latter is sentenced to forced labor, for having wounded Stephana's lover prince in a duel, she joins him in Siberia, ready to share the rest of her days with him. But fate is hostile to her until the end: joined by her old protector, the criminal Gleby, Stephana will be killed by the guards during an escape attempt. Like Andrea Chénier and Fedora, Siberia is also a sentimental historical drama with veristic musical hues in which Giordano chooses to focus attention on the passionate element and on the environmental frame, skillfully returned thanks to the use of traditional slavic melodies and vibrant orchestral colors.