Rustic Chivalry (Cavalleria Rusticana): Melodrama in One Act

by Unknown

"Rustic Chivalry (Cavalleria Rusticana): Melodrama in One Act" by Pietro Mascagni is an opera composed in 1890. Set in a Sicilian village on Easter morning, this verismo masterpiece explores the aftermath of betrayal and jealousy. A young soldier returns from service to find his fiancée married to another man. In revenge, he seduces a village woman—but his former love, consumed by jealousy, begins an affair with him. Premiered in Rome to thunderous applause, this passionate one-act opera became an immediate sensation across Europe and America.