PAGLIACCI

Updated 04-May-2020.

Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about PAGLIACCI!

TV WEEKEND; ZEFFIRELLI’S ‘PAGLIACCI’ FROM LA SCALA IN 1982

Review: Audience savors Opera Grand Rapids’ ‘Pagliacci’: Performances packed an emotional punch.

Seattle Opera’s ‘Pagliacci’ is a bold and vital slice of life: After a quarter of a century’s absence from Seattle Opera’s repertory, the company returned to this “slice of life,” to borrow a phrase from one of the characters, over the weekend at McCaw Hall. Fashion at the moment allows the opera to be done alone rather than pairing it with another one-act, which has been the custom in a good share of the world since its premiere in 1892. Two mimes, Comedy, in white, and Tragedy, in black, open the opera and stay a part of the action until the end, when Comedy has lost the game. The sum of these additions and the sheer visceral effect of the singers made for an engrossing evening in the lyric theater. Seattle Opera, which swims in symbolism and the esoteric with ease, did not approach this bit of gritty realism with any embarrassment. Instead of a donkey pulling the cart for the traveling troupe of commedia dell’arte actors, there is a tiny black car, a Fiat 500. Even though the climax is not a surprise, it remains a horror because Bernard Uzan’s staging is so compelling and the singing full-throated.

Review: Signs of Rebirth at New York City Opera: The company’s season opening, a double bill of the seldom-heard “Aleko” and enduringly popular “Pagliacci,” is a milestone in its comeback.

My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: “pagliacci” is an italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo . it is the composer’s only opera that is still widely Leoncavallo wrote that he based the story of Pagliacci on an incident from his childhood: a murder in 1865 . the murderer was Gaetano Scavello, whose mendès sued Leoncavallo for plagiarism . the composer pleaded ignorance of Mendès’s play . mendès dropped his lawsuit . Sansone has elaborated on the many parallels between the mendès, ferrier, and pessard versions of the Tabarin story and Pagliacci . he notes that Leoncavallo deliberately minimise the two operas have since been frequently performed as a double-bill . the pairing is referred to in the operatic world colloquially as “Cav and Pag” Pagliacci was produced alone the troubles of pagliaccio begins at ventitré ore, an agricultural method of time-keeping that means the play will begin an hour before sunset . canio reminds the audience that actors have feelings too, and the villagers suggest drinking at the tavern . Canio and Beppe accept, but Tonio stays behind . he warns everyone he will not tolerate other men making advances to Nedda villager kisses villager on forehead . vespers ring, and villager leaves frightened . Tonio grabs Nedda, but she takes a whip, strikes him and drives him off . canio chases Silvio, but does not catch him and does not see his face . Silvio ask Beppe threatens Nedda with a knife, but she refuses . Tonio tells Canio that her lover will give himself away at the play . a heartbroken canio is left colombina’s husband Pagliaccio has gone away until morning, and Taddeo is at the market . she anxiously awaits her lover Arlecchino, who comes to serenade Taddeo bursts in, warning that Pagliaccio is suspicious of his wife and is about to return . he tries to continue the play, but loses control and demands to know her lover’ canio sings that if his face is pale, it is not from the stage makeup but from shame she has brought him . the crowd is impressed by his emotional performance and cheers him, without realizing that it is real nedda swears she will never tell her, and it becomes apparent that they are not acting . Tonio refrains and prevents Beppe from halting the action . Silvio attacks Canio the appropriation of this final line by Canio dates back to 1895 . the original assignment of the final line to Tonio is the most consistent and appropriate assignment . canio surrenders control of his perception of there is an onstage violin, oboe, trumpet, and bass drum . also included in the final pages of the score is a part in the percussion section marked “T.T.” in 1931, it became the first complete opera to be filmed with sound . Franco Zeffirelli directed his 1981 La Scala production for a 1982 television airing . the movie’s soundtrack received a Grammy nomination “ventiquattro”. Vocabolario online (in Italian) – via Treccani.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Anon. (1970). “ventitrè Leoncavallo: Life and Works. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5880-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Phillips-Matz “Cavalleria rusticana and I Pagliacci (sic) – Crimes of Passion” Concert Opera Boston, programme notes (accessed 8 February 2020) Swan, Howard (1892). Travellers’ Collo Opera’s irresistible twins. Decca Record Company.