THEATRE REVIEWS

The experience of watching two small operas in one evening is intense, giving a sense of immediacy to each story. Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci is the perfect production for first time opera-goers.

Cavalleria Rusticana begins with a beautiful set by Michael Yeargan, instantly transporting you to a Sicilian village at Easter, with Howard Harrison's effective lighting symbolising the sun beaming onto the stage. The chorus evoked the feeling of a Catholic community in the opening moments, which eased the audience into the story. Mascagni's opera begins with Santuzza (Marianna Tarasova) suspecting Turiddu (Dennis O'Neill) of having an affair with his old love, Lola (Claire Bradshaw). On the discovery of Turiddu's betrayal, Santuzza feels heartbroken and betrayed. She seeks revenge on him by informing Lola's husband Alfio about the affair. An appalled Alfio confronts Turiddu, challenges him to a knife-fight, culminating in the tragic but inevitable demise of Turiddu.

Carlo Rizzi successfully sustained the intensity of the opera, and managed to underline the emotions of the characters through his sympathetic interpretation of the music. The music was particularly atmospheric during scenes when the whole cast were seen praying on stage.

The second half brought Leoncavallos Pagliacci to the stage. The opening scene is lively with the circus arriving in town in an old-fashioned car, with the "No Fit State Circus" company bringing the story to life through fire juggling and walking on stilts. The plot highlights the heartbreak of Canio, also known as head clown, Pagliaccio (Dennis O'Neill), when he discovers his wife Nedda (Delphine Gillot) is having an affair with Silvio, (Pavel Baransky) a villager. A clever play within the play scene follows in the second act, where we watch the chorus on stage watching the farcical clown show. However, tragedy occurs when Canio slips out of his on-stage persona and begins to interrogate his wife about her lover, eventually leading him to kill them both.

Dennis O'Neill and Jason Howard bravely took on the roles of the leading characters in both operas. O'Neill's singing was superb and a definite highlight of the production. However, his casting as Turiddu was at times unconvincing. He was much more successful in his performance as the heartbroken Canio in Pagliacci. Howard gave a heartfelt, credible performance, transforming himself from one character to the other with great ease and confidence.

Welsh National Opera's production of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci directed by Elijah Moshinsky is of a very high standard. The richness of the singing and the emotiveness of the orchestra held the audiences' attention from start to finish, leaving the audience feeling overwhelmed yet satisfied. © RL

“Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci” is at the Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff on the 8th and 10th March, 2005 then touring.

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