Description
Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana is undoubtedly the Italian composer’s best known work and the work upon which his reputation rests almost entirely. Mascagni – then aged 26 – wrote the short, one-act opera in just a few weeks for a competition for young Italian composers who had not had an opera performed on stage. He won first prize and the opera was soon being performed all over the world.
Cavalleria Rusticana is considered to be the first ‘verismo’ opera – that is an opera which draws its themes from real life with true-to-life regional characters and plots. Set in the 19th century, the opera tells of love betrayed and a jealousy that leads to a duel and death in a Sicilian village. The famous Intermezzo is a serene orchestral interlude played to an empty stage between the opera’s two scenes.
The opera influenced many other composers of the time and brought Mascagni lasting fame and fortune. Indeed, at the time of Mascagni’s death in 1945, the opera had been performed more than 14,000 times in Italy alone. The Intermezzo has featured in numerous films and TV series including Raging Bull, The Godfather III and the HBO series The Sopranos.
