Cavalleria Rusticana And Pagliacci
Royal Opera House Until Jan 13
Damiano Michieletto’s production of William Tell was notorious. This one, which appeared a few months later, is more irritating than offensive.
I mean, why set Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana in a baker’s shop? And why integrate it with Pagliacci, as if they happened in the same village on the same weekend? Clever, or too clever by half?
Looking at Cav, well rehearsed by Rodula Gaitanou, the really annoying thing is how good this production almost is.
What makes this revival of Cavalleria Rusticana worthwhile is some inspired casting: the American tenor Bryan Hymel excels as the swaggering Turiddu (above with Elena Zilio)
The opening invites the atmospheric staging here, which points ahead to Turiddu’s death, and the Easter procession has real atmosphere.
However, it would have been so much better outside the church, as Mascagni intended, instead of being mixed up with pizza dough!
But what makes this revival worthwhile is some inspired casting.
Elina Garanca hasn’t sung here for almost a decade, and her refined Santuzza shows what we’ve been missing. The American tenor Bryan Hymel excels as the swaggering Turiddu.
By comparison, Pag – the stronger piece musically – seems a little pallid.
The staging here is almost boringly conventional, and made lame by Carmen Giannattasio’s uncharismatic Nedda.
It was good, though, to see Simon Keenlyside back as Tonio, after three years’ absence with vocal problems.
For me the most amusing moment was the emergence from the pit at the end of veteran conductor Daniel Oren, in an ill-fitting black evening suit that made him look like Christopher Lee in a Hammer Horror film!
If you want a bit of lust in the dust and are fed up with what Yesterday In Parliament is offering, this could be for you.