BBC Documentaries

Pappano's Italian Double Bill at the Royal Opera House (2016x227)

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The Royal Opera House presents a double bill of two short operas, premiered within a couple of years of each other in the 1890s by two great Italian composers - Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The two operas epitomise the style known as verismo - where being true to life meant dealing directly with the real problems of real people. A star-studded cast is led by the Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko and features the sopranos Eva-Maria Westbroek and Carmen Giannattasio, alongside the Greek baritone, Dmitri Platanias. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House is conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.