Introduction to Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci

Nicolas Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education and Outreach for San Diego Opera, discusses this classic pairing of two verismo operas by Pietro Mascagni (CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA) and Ruggiero Leoncavallo (PAGLIACCI).  Verismo is 'realism' in Italian: and these two short operas are filled with passion, violence, and death with overwhelmingly beautiful music to match the tragic stories.  (First posted January 25, 2007)