Cav/Pag

Production..............Franco Zeffirelli
Conductor...............James Levine 

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA

Santuzza................Tatiana Troyanos
Turiddu.................Plácido Domingo
Lola....................Isola Jones
Alfio...................Vern Shinall
Mamma Lucia.............Jean Kraft

We are celebrating Franco Zeffirelli week from the Metropolitan.  This Zeffirelli production of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana might be a real place.  This is Italy. Perhaps there should be a list. This film, this production, this cast brings you the real thing.  

My favorite of this cast is Tatiana Troyanos, of course.  She is so intense that your heart is stirred. Plácido treats her badly, but she takes her revenge.  It's sad all these old productions are gone.  It's Easter Sunday and everyone is at church, except Santuzza who has been excommunicated.  She confronts people as they go in and out of the church.

PAGLIACCI

Nedda...................Teresa Stratas

Canio...................Plácido Domingo

Tonio...................Sherrill Milnes

Silvio..................Allan Monk

Beppe...................James Atherton

This is just ok.  The set is not particularly interesting after the magnificent summoning of a realistic Italian village in CR.  It's still worth seeing for the great cast.  Milnes does a terrific prologue. I think I prefer the current production of Pagliacci.