Join us for The Metropolitan Opera's live broadcast of opera’s most enduring, tragic double bill. Marcelo Álvarez rises to the challenge of playing the dual tenor roles of Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. Eva-Maria Westbroek (Cav) and Patricia Racette (Pag) are the unlucky heroines, and George Gagnidze sings both Alfio and Tonio. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium. Saturday, April 25, 1 to 4 pm on WRTI.
Listen to Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek discuss her role in Cavalleria Rusticana.
Fabio Luisi made his Met debut with Verdi’s Don Carlo in 2005 and has since returned to conduct an eclectic repertory of 25 operas, as well as five concerts with the MET Orchestra. Tenor Marcelo Álvarez makes his role debut as Turiddu with this production.
Earlier this season, Eva-Maria Westbroek sang the title role in a critically heralded Met revival of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The Dutch soprano will add another role to her company repertory next season when she sings Elisabeth in Wagner’s Tannhäuser.
Soprano Patricia Racette has sung more than 160 Met performances over the course of her 20-year career with the company, including Nedda in 2005 and 2006. Next season, she will reprise one of her most acclaimed roles, Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
George Gagnidze made his Met debut in 2009 in the title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto, a role he repeated with the company in 2010 and 2013. Next season, he will return to the company as Scarpia and Tonio.
The single intermission will include backstage interviews with the artists, led by host Susan Graham.
Cast:
Conductor: Fabio Luisi
Santuzza: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Turiddu: Marcelo Álvarez
Alfio: George Gagnidze
Nedda: Patricia Racette
Canio: Marcelo Álvarez
Tonio: George Gagnidze
Silvio: Lucas Meachem