Saturday, August 18, 2007

Turiddu, you faithless, two-timing bastard! Marry me, already!

Turiddu to Alfio, "bite me!"

November 10, 13, 15, 17, 2007 Queen Elizabeth Theatre

The Vancouver Opera Society presents Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (along with I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo) in the opening performances of its 2007/2008 season.

The story:

In Sicily, Turiddu, recently returned from the army, moves in with his mother (hey, he's Italian). He discovers that his fiancee, Lola, has, in his absence, married Alfio, who makes a living doing inter-village cartage. Turiddu is disappointed but turns his virile attentions to another local girl, Santuzzo.

But Turiddu tires of her and soon starts a flirtation with his ex-flame, Lola, during one of her husband's frequent absences. He abandons Santuzzo and she is emotionally devastated and ruined (the Church has excommunicated her for being a fallen woman).

During the Easter festivities while the villagers wend their way to the church Santuzzo pleads with Lola to leave her Turiddu alone. But Lola won't have any of it and pulls away to enter church. Santuzzo reminds Lola that only those who are without sin can go to church. Lola gives praise to God that she is without sin and bounds up the steps and into church.

Santuzzo fights with Turiddu, who doesn't want his little thing with Lola ruined. They scream at each other. Santuzzo vows revenge. If she can't have him, she'll see him dead.

Santuzzo tells Alfio that he's being cuckolded by Turiddu. After the services Alfio, outraged, bites Turiddu on the ear, a Sicilian mortal challenge. He goes behind the garden to wait for Turiddu.

Turiddu asks his mother to care for Santuzzo, if doesn't return. He leaves to confront Alfio in a mortal knife fight.

A villager soon returns announcing that Turiddu has been knifed to death. Every one is sad, sad, sad. He was such a keeper, wasn't he, Mamma Lucia?

Cavelleria Rusticana (The Rustic Chivalry) was composed by Pietro Mascagni in 1889 who submitted the score to Sonzogno, a music publisher, as part of a competition he sponsored for one act operas. Mascagni's score won first prize and was soon performed to great acclaim and popularity. Its hyper-realism captured the imagination of the public and approval from the critics, who dubbed the style verismo.

According the liner notes to a copy of I Pagliacci I own, both Leoncavallo and Mascagni submitted scores to Sonzogno but Mascagni won because of both the quality of his score and on a technicality - Leoncavallo's score was actaully in two acts. But Sonzogno wisely snapped up both pieces and they have been performed together pretty much ever since and are popularily known as "Cav-Pag."

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