Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci

opera in one act / opera in one act

music by Pietro Mascagni / Ruggero Leoncavallo

Duration
1 hour 45 minutes
1 act
50 min
interval 30 min
2 act
25 min
12+
for viewers over 12 years old

Cast

Turiddu
Badri Maisuradze
Santuzza
Tatiana Anisimova
Alfio
Gevorg Akopian

A disciple of Luchino Visconti, the world-famous cinema director, the creator of The Night Porter , Liliana Cavani has directed many opera stage productions. The famous Ravenna music festival saw her productions of Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (1996) and Pagliacci (1998) by Ruggiero Leoncavallo. Cavani’s attention to Mascagni and Leoncavallo could be explained by her interest in verismo — a style in Italian opera that started in 1890. The ultimate simplicity of the subjects taken by the verists from the ordinary life are typical for that kind of the operas. Ordinary life never lacks tragedies. The intense plot jammed into one action — premonition of a catastrophe and bloody payoff — couldn’t fail to attract Liliana Cavani. “Cinema is a sort of psychoanalysis for me”, the director says. Opera productions are psychoanalytical too. In her production of Cavalleria rusticana Liliana Cavani doesn’t confine herself to a sentimental story of a love triangle, she involves the audience into the production, makes them witnesses and accomplices of love, betrayal, murder.

A village in southern Italy. At dawn on Easter Sunday, Turiddu is heard in the distance singing of his love for Lola, wife of the carter Alfio. She and Turiddu had been a couple before he went to join the army. When he returned and found her married to Alfio, he began a relationship with Santuzza and seduced her, but now has abandoned her and rekindled his affair with Lola. Later in the morning, a distraught Santuzza approaches the tavern of Mamma Lucia, Turiddu’s mother, who tells her that her son is away buying wine. Santuzza, however, knows that Turiddu has been seen during the night in the village.

Alfio arrives with a group of men, boasting of his horses and of Lola. He asks Mamma Lucia if she has any more of her good wine. When she says that Turiddu has gone to get more, Alfio replies that he saw the other man near his house that same morning. Lucia is surprised, but Santuzza tells her to keep quiet. As the villagers follow the procession to church, Santuzza stays behind and pours out her grief about Turiddu to Mamma Lucia. The old woman expresses her pity, then also leaves for mass. Turiddu appears and is confronted by Santuzza about his affair with Lola but denies her accusations. Just then Lola passes by on her way to church. She mocks Santuzza, and Turiddu turns to follow her, but Santuzza begs him to stay and implores him not to abandon her. Turiddu refuses to listen and leaves, cursed by Santuzza. Alfio arrives, late for mass. Santuzza tells him that Lola went to church with Turiddu and reveals that his wife has been cheating on him. In a rage, Alfio swears to get even and rushes off, leaving behind the now conscience-stricken Santuzza.

Returning from the church the villagers gather at Mamma Lucia’s tavern. Turiddu leads them in a drinking song, but the atmosphere becomes tense when Alfio appears. He refuses Turiddu’s offer of wine and instead challenges him to a knife fight. Turiddu admits his guilt but is determined to go through with the fight, for Santuzza’s sake as well as for his honor. The two men agree to meet outside the village. Alone with his mother, Turiddu begs her to take care of Santuzza if he does not come back, then runs off to the fight.

Premiere of the production: 25 January 2008

Libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci after the novel by Giovanni Verga

  • Stage DirectorLiliana Cavani
  • Stage DesignerDante Ferretti
  • Costume DesignerGabriella Pescucci
  • Lighting DesignerGianni Mantovanini
  • DirectorMarina Bianchi
  • Marina BianchiLeila Fteita
  • Musical Director of the productionDaniele Rustioni
  • Artistic Director of the ProductionElena Obraztsova
  • Principal PianistIrina Dayneko
  • Chorus MastersAlexey Dmitriev, Sergey Tsyplenkov
  • Curator of the projectYulia Prokhorova
  • Consultant in the Italian languageDaria Mitrofanova

In cooperation with Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Bellini di Catania (Italia)
Sets and costumes produced at the Vozrozhdenie Theatrical Design Studios

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