Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, two pillars of verismo opera, are filled with undeniable passion, elevating even the most mundane aspects of life through musically sublime expression.
Director Aik Karapetian’s new production of Cavalleria rusticana revives the idyllic life of a Sicilian village – just as it becomes tainted by betrayal and jealousy. The peasant girl Santuzza has her heart broken by her fiancé, Turiddu, who is infatuated with Lola, the beautiful wife of the wealthy Alfio. In her despair, Santuzza reveals the affair to Alfio, setting the stage for his inevitable revenge.
Pagliacci was brought to the Latvian National Opera stage by Karapetian in 2019. In this opera, love and betrayal weave through the public and private lives of a travelling commedia dell'arte troupe. The tension builds to a devastating climax when Canio, the troupe’s leader, discovers his wife Nedda’s affair. His heartache cannot be contained by performance alone, leading to a tragic onstage reckoning, witnessed by an unsuspecting audience.
Performance language: Italian
Translation in surtitles: Latvian, English
Synopsis
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Early morning. A siciliana, sung by Turiddu, can be heard, in adoration of Lola’s beauty. During Turiddu’s military service, Lola married the wealthy Alfio. Santuzza, in despair over Turiddu’s renewed infatuation with the frivolous Lola, hurries to see his mother, Lucia, but her efforts to comfort Santuzza are in vain.
Turiddu appears in the village square. Santuzza begs him not to abandon her, but he brusquely pushes the girl away and follows Lola into the church.
After a long journey, Alfio returns to the village, blissfully unaware of the situation. In her misery, Santuzza reveals his wife’s infidelity to him. Though she immediately regrets her words, the damage is done. Alfio resolves to punish Turiddu for besmirching his family’s honour.
After the church service, the villagers gather at the tavern. The merry mood is shattered by Alfio’s arrival. With contempt, he rejects a cup of wine offered by Turiddu, confirming that he knows of the affair between Turiddu and Lola. There is no escaping a duel now.
Following an ancient custom, Turiddu embraces Alfio and then bites his ear. The rivals agree to meet at a secluded spot outside the village. As they say their farewells, Turiddu is overcome by remorse and compassion. He begs Lucia to take care of Santuzza as though she were her own daughter. Haunted by dark forebodings, Turiddu departs for his fight with Alfio. Moments later, news arrives of his death in the duel.
PAGLIACCI
Prologue
Tonio appears on stage to inform the audience that the performance they are about to see is based on real events, that actors feel love and suffering just like anyone else.
Act I
A troupe of performers arrives at an Italian village. Their leader, Canio, announces that evening’s performance to the villagers. The locals invite the actors for drinks. Canio asks one of the actors, Tonio, to join them, but he declines. A villager jokes that Tonio is probably secretly off to meet Canio’s wife, the much younger Nedda. Canio warns those within earshot that he will not tolerate any kind of flirtation or attention paid to his wife off the stage, making clear that life and theatre are not the same.
The villagers and actors disperse. Nedda is worried about her husband’s jealousy, and watches the birds above, envious of their freedom to fly where they want to. Tonio arrives and harasses the young woman. Nedda slaps him to get away. Angered, Tonio swears revenge.
Meanwhile Nedda actually has a lover, a young lad by the name of Silvio, who has just arrived to see her. He loves Nedda and urges her to run away with him that night. Tonio has overheard their conversation and hurries to warn Canio, but Silvio manages to flee undetected. Angered, Canio attacks Nedda who refuses to reveal her lover’s name. Peppe, a member of the troupe, restrains Canio, and Tonio suggests he waits for the performance that evening as he is sure the guilty party will arrive and give himself away. Alone again, Canio expresses his anguish – tonight he must play the role of the clown Pagliaccio, but inside his heart is breaking.
Act II
An audience gathers, and Silvio is among them. The Harlequin, played by Peppe, serenades Columbine, played by Nedda. Columbina is about to let the Harlequin into her room, but she is interrupted by the servant Tadeo, played by Tonio, who comically professes his love for her. The Harlequin chases him away, and both lovers discuss their plan of escape. Columbina’s husband, Pagliaccio, played by Canio, turns up unexpectedly. Unable to separate his real feelings from his acting Canio demands that Nedda name her lover. She stubbornly refuses and tries to keep the play going. The audience watches enthralled. Canio cannot bear it any longer and pulls out a knife. Overcome by feelings of anger and revenge he stabs Nedda, and later also Silvio who has rushed up to help his loved one. Canio then proclaims, to a horrified audience, that “The comedy is finished!”.
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