Cavalleria rusticana. Suor Angelica
Description
Age category: 6+
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
Opera in two acts
Concert performance of the opera
Libretto by Guido Menasci and Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti adapted from a play and short story written by Giovanni Verga
Mascagni belongs to the group of artists who, creating a world masterpiece at the beginning of their career, have subsequently failed to surpass their early achievements. He wrote Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) for a competition of one-act operas, organised by the Milanese music publisher Sonzogno, and won. The production of the opera in Rome in 1890 was a resounding success. Mascagni accurately anticipated the mood of the era and virtually became a national hero. Cavalleria Rusticana was the first production in the verismo style and, along with Pagliacci by Leoncavallo, is considered to be one of the classic verismo operas. The term «verismo» comes from the Latin «verus» meaning «true» or «real» and indicates the trend for realism in Italian art at the end of the 19th Century. The trend draws on everyday life and relies on a documentary style narrative without broad ideological generalisations, whilst expressing extreme emotions – hence, the so-called «cry aria».
The action takes place in a Sicilian village at Easter at the end of the 19th Century. Santuzza, a young peasant girl, is trying by any means to win back her fiancé Turiddu; he is blinded by his love for Alfio’s wife, Lola. The tragic lovers’ tangle can only be resolved by a duel between the rivals.
Age category: 6+
directors
Conductor:
Andrey Danilov
roles
Оперная труппа
Santuzza:
Larisa Kell
Lucia:
Tatiana Kaminskaya
Alfio:
Alexander Pogudin
Lola:
Natalia Lyaskova
Прочие
Turiddu — Konstantin Andreev (Ukraine)
Age category: 6+
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
One-act opera
Concert performance of the opera
Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano
Performed in Italian with Russian surtitles
Suor Angelica stands out from Puccini’s other works because of its calmly contemplative style and chamber sounds, although it was intended for a large orchestra – triple cast with additional instruments; the vocal ensemble is made up of only female voices, which are joined in the finale by a boys’ choir – the angels.
It is accepted that the creation of the Triptych of one-act operas by the composer who also wrote La Bohème was a consequence of him being haunted by the success of Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni, the founder of the verismo opera. However, ultimately, the only piece in the Triptych that can be considered to be in the verismo style, that is the most realistic, is Il tabarro (The Cloak). The other two parts Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi have a more philosophical style. The Triptych was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1918. A year later the series was staged in Rome, after which the operas began mainly to be performed separately. The plot of Suor Angelica tells the story of the religious redemption of a nun who was forced to take the veil and has been separated from her illegitimate son. According to historical documents, of all the operas in the series, this was Puccini’s favourite.
Age category: 6+
directors
Conductor:
Andrey Danilov
roles
Оперная труппа
Sister Angelica:
Zarina Abaeva
Sister Dolcina:
Elena Galeeva
Sister Genovieffa:
Aisulou Khasanova
The Princess:
Tatiana Kaminskaya
The Mistress of the Novices:
Irina Yamshanova
The First Alms Sister:
Eleni Lydia Stamellou
The First Lay Sister:
Alfia Khamidullina
Sister Osmina, The Second Alms Sister:
Elena Yurchenko
The Monitress:
Ekaterina Bachuk
A Novice, The Second Lay Sister:
Elena Tokareva
The Nursing Sister:
Natalia Lyaskova
The Abbess:
Elena Shestakova
lecture
1 hour before the concert every guest, who bought a ticket for it, can attend a lecture «One-act operas «Cavalleria rusticana» by Pietro Mascagni and «Suor Angelica» by Giacomo Puccini» for free. Host - Anna Fefelova, a musicologist. The lecture will be hosted in Russian.
lecture
1 hour before the concert every guest, who bought a ticket for it, can attend a lecture «One-act operas «Cavalleria rusticana» by Pietro Mascagni and «Suor Angelica» by Giacomo Puccini» for free. Host - Anna Fefelova, a musicologist. The lecture will be hosted in Russian.
