First the words: the librettist of Iris was Luigi Illica
(1857-1919), a lightweight playwright and poet, known for his
over-picturesque prose and verses which his friends jocosely called
"Illicasillabi".
In July 1894 Illica agreed to supply a libretto
on a Japanese subject for the composer Alberto Franchetti. The
composer soon abandoned the project and it was three years later,
having heard Guglielmo Ratcliff at La Scala, that Illica
decided to offer his Japanese subject to this Opera's composer,
Mascagni.
Mascagni's star shone in the operatic skies after his huge success in 1890, the ever famous Cavalleria Rusticana. After that initial success critics and audience alike waited to be served more "Verismo" operas from him, exploding with passion and suffering; however, his later operas during the next eight years were composed in a different strain: L'Amico Fritz - a gentle love story; Zanetto; the romantic Guglielmo Ratcliff, the explosive fiasco Le Maschere...
Mascagni accepted Illica's offer and began working on his new opera Iris. He took his time composing the score, paying attention to details of orchestration, in order to bring to life this oriental tale. He wrote to a friend: "The opera needs much refining, because of its style and originality, but I want to join this bold originality to real music, not to some buffoonery of oddities and scenes recited over a contra-bassoon or bass pedal."
The opera was premiered at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, on November 22, 1898. The libretto was full of explosive "Illicasillabi", the symbolism confused some of the audience, but the music, delicate and passionate, won the day and later the hearts of audiences throughout the world. After several failures Mascagni finally had a successful opera in his hands.