5th – 28th September.
The duo Pagliacci and Cavalleria rusticana is one of the most famous double bills in the history of opera. Packed with love, infidelity, betrayal, jealousy and murder, these two pinnacles of the Italian opera repertoire have it all.
Pagliacci (‘Comedians’) and Cavalleria rusticana (‘Rustic chivalry’) are both classic examples of verismo operas, telling so-called realistic stories about the lives of ordinary people. Here, hot-headed southern temperaments spark off rivalries and threaten relationships. Whereas Pagliacci is fuelled by the tension between everyday life and the aesthetic world of the stage, Cavalleria rusticana juxtaposes unbridled passion with profound faith. Director Robert Carsen flips tradition by opening with Pagliacci.
