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- Mascagni, Pietro
Duration: 8 minutes
Description: Italian for “rustic chivalry,” CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA a one act with music by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) and a libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, is adapted from a short story and play by Giovanni Verga. It is considered one of the classic verismo (Italian for “realism”) operas, which depicts life not among royalty or the Gods but among the average contemporary man and woman and focuses on their problems. Written in two months for a composition competition, and submitted on the last day, Mascagni’s was one of three operas among seventy three selected for a premiere in Rome. CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA depicts a young soldier’s return to his home town, and the subsequent affairs, jealousies, and duels to the death that result from pursuit of new and old lovers. The opera premiered on May 17, 1890, at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. “Gli aranci olezzano” remains one of the most recognizable openings in opera, frequently performed as its own concert excerpt. Instrumentation: 2+2(Piccs).2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(1): Hp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Mixed Chorus. Reprint edition.