Mascagni’s “Zanetto” does not fit squarely into any one category. Premiered in 1896, it is a one-act miniature with a late scapigliato sensibility—not unlike Alfredo Catalani’s “La Falce” (1875), or, for that matter, any of the soft-aesthetic, off-the-beaten-path operas of fin-de-siècle Italy. Significantly, Mascagni himself originally dubbed “Zanetto” a scena lirica—an anti-”Cavalleria,” one might say. By all evidence, its storyline {…}
(Photos: ©Fondazione Teatri di Piancenza) As the 19th century came to a close, during a period of artistic transition, young composers sought to innovate and redefine the operatic language. It was in this context that, almost fortuitously, the most emblematic diptych of Italian musical theater and the ultimate prototype of verismo opera emerged: Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s {…}
John Dante Prevedini and Raffaele Sorbo’s Augenmusik opera “Mascagni a Cerignola,” has made its world premiere. Augenmusik, or eye music, is a form of notated music that is also visual art. The technique has been used by various influential composers since the Middle Ages, but has never been used to compose an opera until now. The new opera, “Mascagni a {…}