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Men and women of flesh and blood take centre stage in Cavalleria rusticana as in Pagliacci. Reality becomes theatre and, when the masks come off, theatre becomes reality. In both of these short works, obsessive love and jealousy give rise to violent emotions and passionate musical outbursts. When they brought rural Italy to the opera stage, Pietro Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo inaugurated verismo in music. Director Damiano Michieletto is reprising his 2018 production, which made a lasting impression with its powerful neo-realist transposition to an Italian village in the mid-twentieth century. For her debut at La Monnaie, conductor Alevtina Ioffe promises to bring out the emotional depth of these scores with their unparalleled dramatic force.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Background. Turiddu was once engaged to Lola, but when he returned home after his military service and discovered that she had married Alfio, he began a relationship with Santuzza.
Easter Sunday in a Sicilian village. Turiddu meets Lola in secret. Santuzza suspects Turiddu of being unfaithful and confronts both Mamma Lucia, his mother, and Turiddu himself about the affair. She begs her lover to come back to her, but in vain. When Turiddu rejects her, a hurt Santuzza reveals to Alfio what is going on behind his back …
PAGLIACCI
Assumption in a village in Calabria. A troupe of actors, led by Canio, arrives to perform a play. Canio’s wife Nedda rejects the advances of her fellow player, Tonio, who, taking offence, swears revenge. After overhearing a conversation between Nedda and her lover Silvio, with whom she intends to elope, Tonio informs Canio.
In the play they are to perform, Nedda plays the role of Colombina, who cheats on her husband Pagliaccio (Canio) with Arlecchino. As the performance progresses, the jealous Canio becomes increasingly beside himself – and his role.
Are you under 30? Then attend this opera on the Young Opera Night (16.3.2027) and we treat you to a personal welcome, a free drink, a free digital programme book and an after-event or other surprise.