P. Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana Intermezzo

Filarmonica della Scala/ Myung-Whun Chung
Teatro Antico, Taormina (Sicilia)
May 27, 2027
Based on a true story by Giovanni Verga, the libretto takes us to an Easter Sunday in the 19th century in a Sicilian town and tells us about infidelities, jealousy, pain and revenge.
When the threads of tragedy have already been laid, on an empty stage where passions will soon explode, the violins introduce this sweetest melody from the Intermezzo that evokes a landscape of peace and tranquility in the Sicilian countryside. As the music progresses, the strings become more intense and the winds begin to add drama to the piece to bring the melody to a climax in which the emotional conflict of the opera's main characters is reflected. Finally, the music fades into a calm and peaceful ending, with a last soft note from the strings that seems to float in the air.
This melody is present in several scenes of cinema masterpieces such as Francis Ford Coppola's “The Godfather III” or Martin Scorsese's “Raging Bull”.