Pietro Masscagni – Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry)
This is a one-act opera with (almost) uninterrupted action on a single set. It takes place in a Sicilian village on an Easter morning. The almost refers to an intermezzo played during the Easter mass. The intermezzo is justly one of the most famous compositions in the history of Western music.
Pietro Mascagni had a foundering career as a composer. In what might have been a last-itch effort to gain notoriety he entered a contest to write a one-act opera. Cavalleria Rusticana was the result.
The Bad Boy in this opera is Turiddu. At first Turiddu, a peasant, may seem to have little in common with Duke from Rigoletto. But women seem to find both Duke and Turiddu to be irresistible, despite their manifest dishonesty and duplicity. Both seem to parade their infidelities as almost a badge of honor–look what I can get away with!
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Performance recorded 1978
Turiddu – Plácido Domingo
Santuzza – Tatiana Troyanos
Lucia – Jean Kraft
Alfio – Vern Shinall
Lola – Isola Jones
Conductor – James Levine
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
