Dimitri Platanias

The ROH Live: Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci

Damiano Michieletto

Eva-Maria Westbroek, Aleksandrs Antonenko

Damiano Michieletto's production for The Royal Opera updates the works to southern Italy in the late 20th century.

Jonas Kaufmann: Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci

Philipp Stölzl

Jonas Kaufmann, Liudmyla Monastyrska

As comparably short operas, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci are often billed together, but seldom is the lead tenor making his double role debut as Turiddu and Canio on the same evening. At the 2015 Salzburg Easter Festival, Jonas Kaufmann did just that to rapturous praise. Universally hailed as a coup for Kaufmann, the plaudits were also showered on Philipp Stölzl for his innovative staging which includes live video projections while referencing the era of black-and-white movies.

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI ROYAL OPERA HOUSE 2019/20

Yonghoon Lee, Liudmyla Monastyrska

The ROH Live: Rigoletto

David McVicar

Alexander Joel, Michael Fabiano

Rigoletto, court jester to the libertine Duke of Mantua, is cursed by the father of one of the Duke’s victims for his irreverent laughter. When the Duke seduces Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, it seems the curse is taking effect… Rigoletto arranges to have the Duke assassinated. But Gilda still loves the womanizing Duke and sacrifices herself in his place. Rigoletto eagerly uncovers the corpse only to find instead his fatally wounded daughter, who dies in his arms.