Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana

Gripping Italian opera

Discover the intense world of Italian opera at Nationale Opera & Ballet Amsterdam. This production combines two classics: Pagliacci and Cavalleria rusticana . You will witness betrayal and murder, driven by obsessive love and jealous feelings. These stories reveal the raw sides of human emotions.

Unique theater experience

Director Robert Carsen chose to alter the traditional order of the operas. He focuses on the contrast between theater and reality. Pagliacci begins with the clown Canio, whose stage role and private life painfully coincide. This makes the emotions on stage relatable and universal. For Cavalleria rusticana , Carsen places the story in the dressing room of an opera choir. This offers a unique insight into the destructive power of jealousy within a community. The production shows how personal conflicts play out behind the scenes, far away from the audience.

Top soloists and conductor

Experience the musical power of top soloists. Soprano Corinne Winters, Riccardo Massi, SeokJong Baek, and Raehann Bryce-Davis take the stage. Andrea Battistoni, a prominent Italian conductor, leads this double bill. The Chorus of the Dutch National Opera supports him with full force. Experience the verismo style, where everyday life and intense emotions converge.