2008-2009 Season 
Teatro Lirico D'Europa Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci
March 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Johnson Theatre, Paul Creative Arts Center
Teatro Lirico D’Europa, the European opera company, tours the U.S. this season with more than 85 performances of several full-scale operas, including a new, traditional version of the dramatic double bill: Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci. The company travels with a full symphonic orchestra, a chorus of trained singers, and professional vocal soloists from the major opera houses of Europe and the U.S.
The operas are set in Sicilian villages and reflect the colorful world of traditional Italian peasants going about their daily lives—until jealousy and revenge flare into tragedy.
This is the greatest double bill in opera, and it is loaded with fabulous music—much of which you have heard!
I Pagliacci’s powerful score includes Canio’s aria “Vesti la giubba”—one of the most famous tragic arias of all time. The Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana as well as several arias have been featured in movies such as The Godfather Part Three and Raging Bull.