For years now, the OPERA has followed the tradition of performing the only masterpiece that specifically takes place at the holiday. The central figure of this story, set in a Sicilian village on Easter Sunday, is Santuzza (meaning “little saint” in Italian), who is left by her lover for a married woman. With Cavalleria rusticana, whose protagonists are everyday people who fall victim to their own, unbridled passions, Mascagni created one of the most important pieces of verismo that made its composer famous and recognised at once following its 1890 premiere. Beside the concert version of the opera, the programme also features a beautiful early work by the same composer: Messa di Gloria is abundant in ideas and a true piece of romantic music exalting the resurrection.
Composer: Pietro Mascagni
Librettist: Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti
Librettist: Guido Menasci
