Love, jealousy and revenge are laid bare in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” the classic opera that closes the January – June 2019 Yucatan Symphony Orchestra season.
Five guest singers and a chorus of 40 voices were presented in a special media preview at the Peón Contreras Theater two nights before its premiere.
In the framework of the fifteenth anniversary of the OSY, and with meticulous attention to details, singers and musicians offered a show that demonstrated the high quality of the production, coordinated by Miguel Escobedo.
The powerful voice of the soprano Eugenia Garza was clearly heard in every corner of the theater in her character, Santuzza. The same with the mezzo-soprano Lydia Rendón, who plays Lola, Alfio’s wife; Linda Saldaña, contralto, is Mamma Lucia; Rodrigo Garciarroyo, tenor, in the character of the young villager Turiddu and Jesús Suaste, baritone, plays Alfio.
On the stage, a typical square in a 19th-century Sicilian village is recreated. A church and Mamma Lucía’s house are traversed and occupied by dozens of villagers who accompany the songs, which are sung in Italian.
The story line is high drama. Before the action takes place, Turiddu had returned from military service to find that his fiancée Lola had married Alfio while Turiddu was away. In revenge, Turiddu seduces Santuzza, a young woman in the village. As the opera begins, Lola, overcome by her jealousy of Santuzza, has begun an affair with Turiddu. That’s just the opening of the opera.
The scenography and the musical performance, from the orchestra led by concert director Juan Carlos Lomónaco, make viewing “Cavalleria Rusticanaa” (Italian for “rustic chivalry”) like watching a movie.
The 40-singer chorus is made up of boys, girls, women and men from the Yucatan Opera Workshop, directed by María Eugenia Guerrero Rada.
Scenic direction is by Ragnar Conde; the set and prop design is by Oscar Altamirano; costume design, makeup and hairstyles are by Gabriel Ancira and lighting design was created by Carlos Arce.
The production team, creatives and directors are made up of more than 40 people, as well as all the musicians in the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and staff from the Peón Contreras Theater.
Cavalleria Rusticana will perform on June 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 at the Peón Contreras Theater. Tickets are available at the theater box offices and www.sinfonicadeyucatan.com.mx .
