Anita Rachvelishvili - Cavalleria rusticana (CD)

Details: Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus and a cast of outstanding soloists in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana. As an opera, Cavalleria rusticana is one of the most enduring works for the stage, and it's extraordinary popularity has never waned. This exquisite concert performance from February 2020 vividly captures the unforgettable cut of it's melodies, the intoxicating colors of it's Sicilian atmosphere and the urgent, heart-racing pace of it's drama, which has few equals in the repertoire. The entire ensemble, featuring the notable portrayal of Santuzza by mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili, captures all the emotion and nuance of Mascagni's opera as it hurtles toward it's inevitable catastrophe - the celebrated Intermezzo offering the only moment of respite. In the early part of it's history, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was in the pit for an astonishing number of operas, including nearly 50 performances of Cavalleria rusticana. The orchestra's founding music director, Theodore Thomas, conducted the Intermezzo on the second program the Orchestra ever played on October 19, 1891. Riccardo Muti, world-renowned for his superlative interpretations of Italian operas, reunites the orchestral prowess of CSO with the work (one it had not performed in it's entirety since 1931) in this definitive 21st-century performance certain to stand the test of time.

Tracklist:

1. Prelude
2. Scene 1: Siciliana: O Lola Ch'ai Di Latti la Cammisa (Turiddu)
3. Prelude: Tempo I
4. Scene 1: Gli Aranci Olezzano (Villagers)
5. Scene 2: Dite Mamma Lucia (Santuzza Mamma Lucia)
6. Scene 3: Il Cavallo Scalpita (Alfio Villagers)
7. Scene 3: Beato Voi Compar Alfio (Mamma Lucia Alfio Santuzza)
8. Scene 3: Regina Coeli Laetare (Villagers)
9. Scene 3: Inneggiamo Il Signor Non E Morto (Santuzza Mamma Lucia Villagers)
10. Scene 4: Voi Lo Sapete O Mamma - Miseri Noi (Santuzza Mamma Lucia)
11. Scene 5: Tu Qui Santuzza? (Turiddu Santuzza)
12. Scene 6: Fior Di Giaggiolo (Lola Turiddu Santuzza)
13. Scene 7: Ah! Lo Vedi! (Turiddu Santuzza)
14. Scene 7: No No Turiddu (Santuzza Turiddu)
15. Scene 8: Oh! Il Signore VI Manda (Santuzza Alfio)
16. Intermezzo
17. Scene 9: A Casa a Casa (Turiddu Lola Villagers)
18. Scene 9: Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante (Turiddu Lola Villagers)
19. Scene 10: A Voi Tutti Salute! (Alfio Turiddu Lola Villagers)
20. Scene 11: Mamma Quel Vino È Generoso (Turiddu Mamma Lucia Santuzza Woman)