Opera "Cavalleria rusticana. Pagliacci"

In Pietro Mascagni's opera "Cavalleria rusticana" and Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera "Pagliacci," verist passions burst forth with irresistible force. Even the everyday events of life, which are not especially beautiful, here receive a musically lavish setting.

During the opera "Cavalleria rusticana," the audience can watch the life of a Sicilian village, whose idyll is touched by themes of betrayal and jealousy. The heart of the young peasant girl Santuzza has been broken by her fiancé Turiddu, who has fallen in love with the beautiful wife of the wealthy Alfio, Lola. Desperate, Santuzza tells Alfio about this betrayal - and his revenge becomes inevitable.

In "Pagliacci," meanwhile, love and betrayal run through both the performances given by the traveling comedians and the events of their private lives. Tension reaches its peak when the troupe leader Canio learns of his wife Nedda's affair. Canio's heartbreak is too great to remain only within a role, so during the next performance the entertaining events the audience watches on stage unexpectedly turn into a bloody drama in real life.