CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Mascagni began work on Cavalleria rusticana in 1888, intending to enter it into a music competition run by the Sonzogno publishing company. Initial feedback on the score was disappointing, however, and Mascagni resolved to destroy it and submit the fourth act of another opera he had composed instead. Unbeknownst to him, his wife Lina submitted the Cavalleria rusticana manuscript on his behalf, and the work was awarded First Prize ahead of 72 other entrants. Its premiere in Rome in 1890 was an enormous success, with Mascagni reportedly taking 40 curtain calls to rapturous applause.
Mascagni’s opera, based on Giovanni Verga’s play, is identified as a launching point for the verismo (“realism”) trend, thanks to its naturalistic narrative approach, its focus on ordinary people, and its passionate, violent content. The style remained popular into the early 1900s, and its influence can be seen in works from Giordano’s Andrea Chénier to Puccini’s Tosca.
For a conductor, Cavalleria Rusticana is a demanding title for the continuous use of ritenuto and allargando, suitable to express the deep feelings of the characters. A title in which it is mandatory to know the traditions and have a solid technique to control the ever-flowing rhythm.


MAESTRO ALLEMANDI AND CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Antonello Allemandi conducted Italian operas in theaters such as the Wiener Staatsoper in Vienna, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Dallas Opera, Tokyo Opera etc.
In January 2024 he conducted a new production with 6 performances of Cavalleria Rusticana at Athens State Opera.
The Maestro will choose one or more students to assist him in one of his next productions, thus offering them the incredible opportunity to deepen what they have studied in the course and learn all the secrets of this work directly from him.