Rustic Chivalry by Mascagni, pet. 27 jun. 2014, Od (2014/2014), Režija: Lo Kingman, Dirigent Daye Lin

Between 1888 and 1902, Sonzogno organized four competitions calling for original one-act Italian operas. Puccini had unsuccessfully submitted Le villi for the first competition. Mascagni’s opera was awarded the first prize in 1890. With the success of Cavalleria rusticana, Sonzogno was quick to seize the opportunity and continue his campaign by encouraging young composers to emulate Mascagni. Owing to the predominance of contemporary characters and references to the bottom rungs of the social ladder in these works, the term verismo (borrowed from Italian literature) became the banner and emblem of Casa Sonzogno. On the other hand, the 3000 lire cash prize was almost irresistible to any young composer determined to try his hands on opera. As a result, the decade of 1890s witnessed a flourish of new Italian operas, depicted with deliberate awareness of reality.