DomStufen-Festspiele in Erfurt 2007
With Cavalleria rusticana, Pietro Mascagni created a work that, around 1900, seemed to fulfill like no other the call for a renewal of Italian opera: the preservation of tradition, the pursuit of dramatic truth, the purity of melody, the beauty of vocal lines, and a musical language rich in harmonic, instrumental, and structural variety.
Santuzza loves Turiddu, only to discover that he is secretly visiting Lola, a married woman. As it becomes clear to her, Turiddu only turned to Santuzza after returning from military service, when he found his former lover Lola now wed to the wealthy carter Alfio. Desperate to win Turiddu back, Santuzza pleads with him — but he cruelly pushes her away in front of Lola. Humiliated and heartbroken, she reveals Lola’s infidelity to her husband. According to the harsh moral code of the time, a duel must follow—and Turiddu meets his death at Alfio’s hand.
Premiere / August 11, 2007
Cast
Santuzza Alina Gurina, Helena Zubanovich | Turiddu Richard Carlucci, Luis Rodriguez | Lucia Stephanie Carlucci | Alfio Juri Batukov | Lola Alice Rath, Susanne Rath