Product: Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana (1961)
Rating: 5.0
Mascagni & Leoncavallo well represented
Mascagni's 'Cavalleria Rusticana' and Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci' are well served by the latest production by Mario del Monaco's son Giancarlo. The sets are primitive as befits operas with primitive setting. Carlo Guelfi as Tonio sings his famous prologue before 'Cavalleria' making it the prologue to both operas and not only 'Pagliacci'. In 'Cavalleria' Vileta Urmana and Vincenzo La Scola present lovers at loggerheads and La Scola turns out to be sympathetic in the end while in 'Pagliacci' Vladimir Galouzine triumphs over some relatively crude singing to portray a character racked by suffering to garner our sympathy as Canio.Carlo Guelfi and Maria Bayo partner him ably to advocate admiably the opera. Guelfi as Tonio takes back from Canio the opera's final line 'La Commedia e finita' making him the opera's satanic deus ex machina. This expedient restores the importance of Tonio in the opera. While Caruso in appropriating the line for Canio proved immediately effective there is no doubt that Leocavallo's first thoughts were best.