Opera 101 with Fred Plotkin March 25, 2009

Opera 101
Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci
Fred Plotkin, author of Opera 101, Classical Music 101, and seven books about Italy.

The passions and traditions of Southern Italy find no greater expression in opera than in the timeless double bill of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci. Popularly referred to as “Cav/Pag,” these one-act operas are in repertory at the Metropolitan Opera from March 19 to April 10, 2009. They are perfect in dramatic construction, musically riveting, and speak of values that endure in Sicily and Calabria even as they vanish elsewhere. Both written in the 1890s, they are fascinating examples of the link between opera and cinema and are forerunners of Italian neo-realist films.

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