| Written by Thomson Smillie - Audio narrated by David Timson - Audio-Original Recording - Nonfiction - 1 COMPACT DISC Publisher, Naxos (February 2004) - 76 minutes Opera Explained presents the plots and music of major operas, communicating with enthusiasm the joys of a great art form. Each title includes: • Principal arias and choruses • Background to the composer and his works • Ideal preparation for a visit to the opera-house, and an entertaining revision afterwards "If you feel you are forever standing outside the palace of opera, with your nose pressed against the window but uncertain how to find the front door, you could do a lot worse than pick up one or more of these entertaining and enthusiastic audio guides." --CLASSIC FM "There is simply no better introduction to the intricacies and structure of opera than this series from Naxos..." --AD-LIB Cavalleria rusticana is the short opera that has all the elements of a grand opera compressed into a single highly dramatic time span. The story of love, lust, blood-feud and betrayal played out against the pageantry of the Easter celebrations in a Sicilian village delivers an emotional wallop because of the youthful vigour and musical wealth of its great score which includes the glorious Easter Hymn and the deeply moving Intermezzo. Mascagni was never to repeat his youthful success but this brief work is enough to ensure his immortality. 1. Background: Introduction 00:04:40 2. Background: History 00:03:07 3. Background: The bel canto: Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti 00:02:12 4. Background: Verdi 00:04:27 5. Background: Puccini and the verismo school 00:03:02 6. Background: Bizet's Carmen 00:04:11 7. Background: Mascagni 00:06:51 8. Background: Mascagni's other operas 00:05:06 9. Cavalleria rusticana: Prelude and Sicilian setting 00:06:34 10. Cavalleria rusticana: Beginning 00:05:14 11. Cavalleria rusticana: The Easter Hymn 00:07:18 12. Cavalleria rusticana: Sin and sanctity 00:03:11 13. Cavalleria rusticana: Santuzza confronts Turiddu 00:04:41 14. Cavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo 00:05:58 15. Cavalleria rusticana: Turiddu drinks and Alfio makes his challenge 00:03:19 16. Cavalleria rusticana: Turiddu says goodbye before the duel 00:06:40 | 
