Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci
Overture Center-Overture Hall 201 State St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
James Gill Photography
The Madison Opera offers a classic double bill, featuring some of opera’s most soaring dramatic numbers. Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci are both tragedies set in rural Italy. The sumptuous production features the Madison Opera Chorus, members of the Madison Youth Choirs and the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
press release: Madison Opera's fifty-eighth season opens with Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci in November, followed by A Little Night Music in February, and Rusalka in April. The season concludes with the annual Opera in the Park in July.
The season opens in November with a double-bill of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in Overture Hall. Last seen at Madison Opera over 30 years ago, both one-act works are set in small Italian villages and tell stories of jealousy, betrayal, and murder, making them the perfect complements to each other.
In Cavalleria Rusticana, Michelle Johnson debuts with Madison Opera as Santuzza, a young woman who seeks revenge against her former lover – and gets it. Scott Piper (Tosca) returns to Madison Opera as Turridu, her former lover. Michael Mayes (Dead Man Walking) returns as Alfio, the man with whose wife Turridu is currently having an affair. Danielle Wright debuts as Mamma Lucia.
In Pagliacci, a traveling theater troupe is torn apart by infidelity and jealousy. Talise Trevigne makes her Madison Opera debut as Nedda, who is unhappily married to Canio, the head of the troupe. Both Scott Piper and Michael Mayes play roles in this piece as well – Piper as Canio and Mayes as Tonio, another troupe member who seeks revenge on Nedda when she spurns his advances. Benjamin Taylor debuts as Silvio, Nedda’s lover, and Robert Goderich (The Tales of Hoffmann, Sweeney Todd) sings Beppe, another troupe member.
Kristine McIntyre (Florencia en el Amazonas, The Tales of Hoffmann) directs this dramatic double-bill, which will also feature the Madison Opera Chorus and the Madison Youth Choirs. Joseph Mechavich (Opera in the Park 2017, Don Giovanni) returns to conduct these passionate scores, famous for an Easter Hymn (Cavalleria Rusticana) and the aria “Vesti la Giubba” (Pagliacci).
“I absolutely love this new season,” says Kathryn Smith, Madison Opera’s General Director. “Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci are what many people think when they hear the word ‘opera’ – intense emotions, passionate music, and dramatic endings. I consider A Little Night Music to be a modern operetta, with a fabulous score and one of the wittiest books ever written, making it a perfect midwinter treat. Rusalka has one of the most gorgeous scores ever composed; I fell in love with it in high school and am so excited to produce it here. We have remarkable casts, featuring both returning favorite artists and some exciting debuts, and I hope everyone will commit to sharing all three productions with us, whether a piece is a favorite of theirs or completely new.”
Subscriptions for the 2018/19 season are now available; please contact info@madisonopera.org or call (608) 238-8085. Subscribers save up to 15% off single ticket prices while enjoying this captivating season!