Opera Scotland

Cavalleria Rusticana 1996Tayside Opera

Read more about the opera Cavalleria Rusticana

Tayside Opera last did Cav & Pag back in the early days of the  company (1973). For this occasion the chorus was boosted to make the Easter Hymn sound quite full-bodied. Some of the soloists from the second half joined in, including the Nedda. And both operas had the voice of regular prima donna Gelda Bell in support. This staging worked well, with a particularly good female cast. For Pagliacci they all joined the chorus, and with the opera clearly taking place in the same village a few decades later, the presence of familiar faces was probably quite a realistic effect.