CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA - SYNOPSIS
Turiddu,
recently returned from the army, lives with his mother, who keeps a
wine shop in the village square. He was betrothed to Lola when he left
for the army. On his return, he found her married to Alfio, a teamster.
Turiddu consoled himself by making love to another village girl,
Santuzza. Soon, he betrayed her, then abandoned her. Lola's husband was
frequently absent and she encouraged Turiddu's secret lovemaking. This
situation exists before the curtain rises.
The
curtain rises on a village square with a church on one side and a
tavern, the home of Mamma Lucia, on the other. It is Easter day.
Villagers cross the square and enter the church. Santuzza appears and
goes to Mamma Lucia's. She asks for Turiddu. His mother replied that he
went out of town to buy wine for the tavern. Santuzza refuses to
believe it and suspects that he is with Lola.
Alfio,
Lola's husband, enters, singing a lusty song about his horse and wagon.
The villagers join his song. Lucia greets Alfio, who asks her if she
still has some of her good wine left. She tells him that Turiddu has
gone to Francofonte to replenish her supply. Alfio replies that he saw
him that very morning near his home. When Lucia expresses surprise,
Santuzza warns her to be quiet. Alfio then goes on his way. The Easter
music starts and all kneel and join in the singing.
All
go to church except Lucia and Santuzza. Now Santuzza pours out her sad
and bitter story. Lucia is appalled! Santuzza cries out that she is
accursed and begs Lucia to pray for her soul. Lucia enters the church,
leaving Santuzza alone. Turiddu enters. Surprised to see Santuzza, he
asks why she does not go to mass. She replies that she cannot and
accuses him of perfidy. The scene is interrupted by Lola's entrance.
She asks if she is going to mass. Santuzza replies that only those
should go who are without sin. Lola gives thanks to God that she is
without sin and enters the church. Turiddu is about to follow Lola when
she tells him to stay with Santuzza. Turiddu then turns furiously on
Santuzza. the quarrel becomes violent and Turiddu hurls Santuzza to the
floor and runs into the church. Santuzza screams a curse after him.
Alfio
enters the scene, Santuzza frantic with jealousy, tells him of his
wife's relationship with Turiddu. Alfio swears vengeance. Santuzza
cries in agony of remorse. They both leave the stage while the
orchestra plays the intermezzo.
The
services are over as the people leave the church, Turiddu invites them
to drink with him. Alfio enters and Turiddu offers him wine. Alfio
refuses, saying that it would be like poison in his veins. Turiddu
throws the wine from the glass. Alfio challengeCAVALLERIA RUSTICANAs
Turiddu to a duel. They agree to meet in the garden. Turiddu now asks
his mother for her blessings and asks her to take care of Santuzza
should he not return. He leaves to face Alfio. Suddenly a woman rushes
in shrieking that Turiddu had been killed.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA - NOTES
- Cavalleria
Rusticana, opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni (1863- 1945), libretto
by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci. First performance:
Teatro Constanzi, Rome, May 17, 1890.
- "Cav,"
and the opera "Pagliacci," have provided a favorite double bill for
years and are in fact linked, perhaps indelibly, in the mind of the
opera public. The careers of Leoncavvalo (composer of Pagliacci) and
Mascagni are remarkably similar in that each achieved lasting fame with
a single opera, while their other works fell into comparative obscurity.
- Mascagni
was a struggling music teacher when he learned, in 1888, that the music
publisher Sonzogno was offering a prize for the best one-act opera.
When he presented his score for "Cav" to the judges in Rome, it was
awarded first prize. Its subsequent production made operatic history
and inspired a rash of melodramatic one-act operas, Leoncavallo's
Pagliacci among them.
- Mascagni
composed other operas after his initial success, but his reputation
rests almost entirely upon Cavalleria. None of his other operas
approached the success of Cav as it is called, although L'Amico Fritz
is considered more refined and more carefully written than Cav, with
its brutal libretto and catchy, commonplace tunes. Other operas which
are sometimes performed are Zanetto, composed in 1896 and scored for
strings and harp, Iris, 1898, which became the most famouse of his
works after Cav, and Lodoletta, in 1917.
Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 – June 3, 1875)
Written
when Bizet was 20 years old this is the only piece Major piece of
Sacred Music which is performed regularly today. Te Deum was in
fact submitted by Bizet to the Prix Rodrigues competition, in 1858, at
which time, he was informed, that it was far to operatic in style and
was severely criticised. This was only one of the two entries in
the competition and he did not win – Bizet is recognised mainly for his
Opera Carmen which is considered one of the most famous opera’s in the
world.
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