Cavalleria rusticana

The production shifts the action to the 1930s and thrives not least on numerous nuances, colors and small gestures: Santuzza's only hinted-at pregnancy, which makes her situation seem all the more hopeless, the fact that she obviously realizes from the outset that Alfio knows full well about his wife's adultery, the reinforcement of the couleur locale through the inclusion of the children, who are so important in society. It emphasizes the strength of the individual women, who, under the pressure of the prevailing stock reactionary machismo, hardly dare to articulate themselves, or only within certain conventions. Inwardly collapsing, they stand almost frozen in front of the audience, in stark contrast to the lamenting women in the background, who "officially" give space to their suppressed feelings.

After the sensational success of its premiere in 1890, Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana conquered the stages of the world more quickly than almost any other work in opera history. The emotionality of the folkloristic musical language, the lush melodies and the concise dramaturgy of the subject matter ensure that this one-act opera remains popular to this day. Mascagni wrote the opera for a competition in which a one-act opera was required, which also had an effect on the form: the individual numbers are short and very taut. Everything happens quickly, aiming directly for the climax. In keeping with the subject matter, the composer often uses an unpolished, almost coarse sound, especially in the brass. Musically, Mascagni develops Verdi's tradition further and transcends previous boundaries, but clearly comes from the world of Italian opera, originating in bel canto.

The composer later recalled the premiere: "Finally, the day of the premiere, May 17th, arrived. Anyone who has not been to the Teatro Costanzi cannot imagine what took place then - an unforgettable evening in the life of an artist! Nobody would have expected such a success. The audience went crazy. All my hopes, all my expectations were exceeded by reality. I was called in front of the curtain sixty times. When I appeared in the spotlight in front of the frenzied audience, I thought I was dreaming. I came and went like an automaton; suddenly the knot in my throat loosened and I began to cry like a child. I felt all the joy that I could now offer my wife, my children and my father a comfortable life... I saw everything in a new light... I thought of all this while the audience applauded... applauded..."

Short Summarie
Before being called up for military service, Turiddu was engaged to Lola, who married the wealthy Alfio while he was away. Turiddu then tries to console himself with Santuzza, but starts another affair with Lola. Santuzza recognizes his infidelity, is deeply hurt and, in her anger, reveals Lola's adultery to Alfio. A duel takes place between Alfio and Turiddu. The cry "Turiddu has been murdered!" ends the tragedy.

Pagliacci

Jean-Poierre Ponnelle always saw before his inner eye a concrete situation, an atmosphere, an image that he wanted to bring to life on stage. He rarely showed anything, preferring instead to explain his ideas. He explained them vividly - and at the same time invited the singers to participate in the creation of an idea. The production shifts the action to the 1930s and lives not least from numerous nuances, colors, small gestures: the tiny and ever-growing car of the approaching comedian troupe appearing on the horizon - such and similar only apparent trivialities prove the playful joy with which Jean-Pierre Ponnelle enriched these productions, which therefore appear just as fresh and valid even after three and a half decades as they did on the day of the premiere.

Leoncavallo was a master of the art of instrumentation: he repeatedly divided the violins, for example, and demanded flageolet effects from the strings, i.e. unusual forms of playing and sound. And he pays attention to small nuances: Nedda's "Bird Song", for example, is introduced by two interwoven harps, to which Leoncavallo has the violins play complex figures in sections and then places four solo violins over the whole thing, intoning chords sustained an octave higher. The sound is clearly influenced by French music. At the same time, there is also an influence from the German school of composition: in the Pagliacci orchestral prelude, there is a characteristic motif that is played piano in the horn. In Canio's central aria, "Vesti la giubba", it returns - more tragically - and can be heard a third time at the end of the opera. Such a dramaturgically striking use of motifs was unknown to Verdi, for example.

Pagliacci belongs to the so-called musical verismo. This refers to a narrow genre that originated in literature and aimed to show unvarnished, unembellished life. This form was characterized by strong emotions, often violent finales, abrupt endings and themes from everyday life. In addition to Pagliacci , Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana is one of the central works.

Short Summarie
Canio, the principal of a comedy troupe, keeps a close eye on his wife Nedda, who feels constrained by his jealousy. She has fallen in love with Silvio, a young farmer, and the two want to flee together. But Tonio, whose love she has previously rejected, seeks revenge and betrays her to her husband Canio, who threatens retribution. The situation escalates during the troupe's performance: Play and reality mix, Canio kills Nedda and Silvio.