Tune in at 1 pm Saturday for the classic pairing of two one-act masterpieces: Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. The Met's principal conductor, Fabio Luisi, conducts this 2014-15 production by Sir David McVicar.
Mezzo-soprano Violeta Urmana stars as the jealous Santuzza, spurned by her former lover, Turiddu, who will be sung by tenor Yonghoon Lee, in the first half of the bill, Cavalleria Rusticana. Ambrogio Maestri rounds out the cast as Alfio, the cuckolded husband of the object of Turiddu's affection.
Themes of love and vengeance continue in Pagliacci, the second half of the program. Tenor Marco Berti takes on the role of the ill-fated clown, Canio, who discovers an illicit love affair carried on by his wife Nedda, soprano Barbara Frittoli. Baritone George Gagnidze plays the role of the meddling Tonio, who narrates this tragic tale.
Casts:
Conductor: Fabio Luisi
Cavalleria Rusticana
Santuzza: Violetta Urmana
Turiddu: Yonghoon Lee
Alfio: Ambrogio Maestri
Pagliacci
Canio: Marco Berti
Nedda: Barbara Frittoli
Tonio: George Gagnidze
Silvio: Alexey Lavrov