Cavalleria Rusticana – Rustican Chivalry
Opera by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)
Taormina Greek Theatre, August 2nd 2016 @ 9.30pm AND August 22nd 2016
Taormina Opera Stars Festival presents Cavalleria Rusticana.
Cavalleria Rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. It is the first and best known Mascagni’s works. Its success has been phenomenal from its first performance in the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on May 17, 1890 until the present day. At the time of Mascagni’s death in 1945, the opera had been performed more than 14,000 times in Italy alone.
“The Teatro Illustrato invites young Italian musicians to participate in a new competition for a one-act opera.” In 1888, the publisher Sonzogno launched its second competition for young Italian composers. The winner was Pietro Mascagni with Cavalleria rusticana, and so it was that this story of an honour killing in a Sicilian village in the late nineteenth century, from a short story of the same name by Verga, entered the operatic canon. Owing to the intense dramatic power of the score and libretto, the opera quickly became recognised as a manifesto of Italian verism. (Source: symphonyspace.org)
Cast
Santuzza: Marianna Cappellani
Turiddu: Delfo Paone
Alfio: Giorgio Schipa
Lola: Sabrina Messina (2 agosto)
Clelia Croce (22 agosto)
Mamma Lucia: Michela Moroni
Orchestra leader: Mariano Patti (August 2) – Salvatore Miraglia (August 22)
Director: Lino Privitera
Orchestra: Taormina Opera Stars and Coro Lirico Siciliano
Choral Director: Francesco Costa
Staging, Sets and Costumes: La Bottega Fantastica di Daniele Barbera
TICKETS
August 2 ticketone.it and boxol.it
August 22 ticketone.it and boxol.it
Stalls (Parterre): € 105,00
Gallery: € 80,00
Upper circle (numbered seats): € 60,00
Upper circle (non-numbered seats): € 33,00
Ticket Office in Taormina @ Taormina Arte:
Congress Hall >> 10-12am / 5.00-7.00pm Tel. +39 0942.628730 – 0039 0942 21142 info@taormina-arte.com www.taormina-arte.com
SYNOPSIS
Place: A 19th-century Sicilian village Time: Easter morning
Before the action takes place, the young villager Turiddu had returned from military service to find that his fiancée Lola had married the carter Alfio while Turiddu was away.[9] In revenge, Turiddu had seduced Santuzza, a young woman in the village. As the opera begins, Lola, overcome by her jealousy of Santuzza, has begun an adulterous affair with Turiddu.
The main square of the village
Offstage, Turiddu is heard singing The Siciliana – “O Lola, lovely as the spring’s bright blooms”. To one side is the church; to the other is Lucia’s wine shop and the house where she lives with her son, Turiddu. The villagers move about the square, singing of the beautiful spring day (Gli aranci olezzano sui verdi margini – “The air is sweet with orange blossoms”) and a hymn to the Blessed Virgin. Some villagers enter the church, and others wander off still singing.
Santuzza, having slept with Turiddu and suspecting that he has betrayed her for Lola, is distraught and approaches Lucia as she comes out of her house. Santuzza asks for Turiddu, but Lucia replies that he has gone to another town to fetch some wine. Santuzza tells her that he was seen during the night in the village. Lucia asks her inside to talk, but just at that moment Alfio arrives on his wagon, accompanied by the villagers. He praises the joys of a teamster’s life and the beauty of his bride. Alfio asks Lucia for some of her fine old wine. She tells him it has run out and Turiddu has gone away to buy more. Alfio replies that he had seen Turiddu early that morning near his cottage. Lucia starts to express surprise, but Santuzza stops her.
Alfio leaves. The choir inside the church is heard singing the Regina Coeli. Outside, the villagers sing an Easter Hymn, joined by Santuzza. The villagers enter the church, while Santuzza and Lucia remain outside. Lucia asks Santuzza why she signalled her to remain silent when Alfio said that he had seen Turiddu that morning. Santuzza exclaims, Voi lo sapete – “Now you shall know”, and tells Lucia the story of her seduction by Turiddu and his affair with Lola. Lucia pities Santuzza, who the villagers are considering excommunicating for her seduction. Santuzza cannot enter the church, but begs Lucia to go inside and pray for her.
Turiddu arrives. Santuzza upbraids him for pretending to have gone away, when he was actually seeing Lola. Lola enters the square singing. She mocks Santuzza and goes inside the church. Turiddu turns to follow Lola, but Santuzza begs him to stay. Turiddu pushes her away. She clings to him. He loosens her hands, throws her to the ground, and enters the church. Alfio arrives looking for Lola. Santuzza tells him that his wife has betrayed him with Turiddu. Alfio swears to take vendetta (revenge) which causes Santuzza to repent for having disclosed the affair and begs Alfio to stop to no avail.
The square is empty as the orchestra plays the famous Intermezzo.
The villagers come out of the church. Turiddu is in high spirits because he is with Lola and Santuzza appears to have gone. He invites his friends to his mother’s wine shop where he sings a drinking song, Viva, il vino spumeggiante – “Hail to the bubbling wine!”. Alfio joins them. Turiddu offers him wine, but he refuses it. All understand that trouble is in the air. The women leave, taking Lola with them. In a brief exchange of words, Alfio challenges Turiddu to a duel. Following Sicilian custom, the two men embrace, and Turiddu, in a token of acceptance, bites Alfio’s ear, drawing blood which signifies a fight to the death. Alfio leaves and Turiddu calls Lucia back. He tells her that he is going outside to get some air and asks that she be a kindly mother to Santuzza if he should not return: Un bacio, mamma! Un altro bacio!—Addio! – “One kiss, mother! One more kiss! – Farewell!”.
Turiddu rushes out. Lucia, weeping, wanders aimlessly around outside her house. Santuzza approaches and throws her arms around her. The villagers start to crowd around. Voices are heard in the distance and a woman cries, “They have murdered Turiddu!” Santuzza faints and Lucia collapses in the arms of the women villagers.
