The premiere of the opera Cavalleria rusticana with conductor Maestro Paolo Bressan, is already tomorrow, January 27, at 7:30 PM, with a reprise performance on Saturday, January 30 at the same time. Composer Pietro Mascagni wrote the opera for an 1888 competition for one-act operas in Rome. It was there that Cavalleria rusticana triumphed, and the opera was highly praised by Mascagni’s contemporaries such as Giuseppe Verdi and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Verdi even called the young composer his probable successor. However, Mascagni’s later works were never able to surpass the success of this opera, and Cavalleria rusticana remains the most famous in his oeuvre.
Cavalleria rusticana has maintained its great popularity to this day; even those who do not consider themselves fans of opera will recognize its intermezzo, definitely the most famous intermezzo of all.
The Rijeka production of Cavalleria rusticana is brought to the stage truthfully and fiercely. “Each of us in his time has suffered nightmares, collided with opposition, encountered intersections in which he had to decide on the right path. Maybe not with such violent intensity, since life is not an opera, after all, but opera is certainly life,” says director Dražen Siriščević, adding, “Does anyone see a way out? Find it by coming to a theatre that never stops believing at any cost!”
Take a look at the photos from the dress rehearsal, and see you at the performances!
