Cavalleria rusticana/ Pagliacci by Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Fra (2022/2022), I regi av Dietrich Hilsdorf, Dirigent Hendrik Vestmann, Vito Cristofaro, Staatstheater, Oldenburg, Germany

In the prologue to his opera 'Pagliacci', Ruggero Leoncavallo explained that he wanted to draw from the abysses of real life, to show real tears and anger, and thus not only provided the central manifesto for musical verismo, but also a template for the fundamental examination of theatre: What is reality, what is play? And is it even possible to draw a clear line between them? For director Dietrich Hilsdorf there has long been no question that the two short operas 'Cavalleria Rusticana' and 'Pagliacci' grew together in the course of their joint performance history into a work that he calls 'Bloody Easter': In the 'Male Pasqua!' curse of the Santuzza culminates all the human and emotional cruelty of village life to which people are mercilessly at the mercy. Coupled with expressive musical language, it forms a gripping basis for the naturalistic presentation of an event that misleads the spectators on stage as well as those in the auditorium ...