La Monnaie / De Munt LA MONNAIE / DE MUNT
© Sebastian Steveniers
Opera

Cavalleria rusticana
& Pagliacci
Pietro Mascagni & Ruggero Leoncavallo
Alevtina Ioffe, Damiano Michieletto

Presentation
Opera

Opera’s most beloved double bill returns to La Monnaie

Men and women of flesh and blood take centre stage in Cavalleria rusticana as in Pagliacci. Reality becomes theatre and, when the masks come off, theatre becomes reality. In both of these short works, obsessive love and jealousy give rise to violent emotions and passionate musical outbursts. When they brought rural Italy to the opera stage, Pietro Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo inaugurated verismo in music. Director Damiano Michieletto is reprising his 2018 production, which made a lasting impression with its powerful neo-realist transposition to an Italian village in the mid-twentieth century. For her debut at La Monnaie, conductor Alevtina Ioffe promises to bring out the emotional depth of these scores with their unparalleled dramatic force.

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA

Background. Turiddu was once engaged to Lola, but when he returned home after his military service and discovered that she had married Alfio, he began a relationship with Santuzza.
Easter Sunday in a Sicilian village. Turiddu meets Lola in secret. Santuzza suspects Turiddu of being unfaithful and confronts both Mamma Lucia, his mother, and Turiddu himself about the affair. She begs her lover to come back to her, but in vain. When Turiddu rejects her, a hurt Santuzza reveals to Alfio what is going on behind his back …

PAGLIACCI

Assumption in a village in Calabria. A troupe of actors, led by Canio, arrives to perform a play. Canio’s wife Nedda rejects the advances of her fellow player, Tonio, who, taking offence, swears revenge. After overhearing a conversation between Nedda and her lover Silvio, with whom she intends to elope, Tonio informs Canio.
In the play they are to perform, Nedda plays the role of Colombina, who cheats on her husband Pagliaccio (Canio) with Arlecchino. As the performance progresses, the jealous Canio becomes increasingly beside himself – and his role.

Are you under 30? Then attend this opera on the Young Opera Night (16.3.2027) and we treat you to a personal welcome, a free drink, a free digital programme book and an after-event or other surprise.

Dates & tickets

 – 

Location

La Monnaie

Prices

Start ticket sale 27.11.2026

Running time

3 hours 20 min. (with interval)

Language

Sung in Italian
Surtitles in English, Dutch and French

Presentation

Introductory talks 45' before the start of the performance

More info

BUILDING BRIDGES
11.3.2027 – 14:00

La Monnaie invites school pupils and students to discover this production at a special reduced rate, and vulnerable groups from the social sector even free of charge.

Secure yourself of the best seats for this opera at the lowest possible price with one of our fixed or flexible opera season tickets. Subscribe to our newsletter and we will send you a reminder at the start of the subscription and ticket sales.

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Gallery

Gallery

Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
© Forster
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
© Forster
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
© Forster
Pagliacci
Pagliacci
© Forster
Pagliacci
Pagliacci
© Forster
Pagliacci
Pagliacci
© Forster
Pagliacci
Pagliacci
© Forster
Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci — Introduction par Antonio Cuenca Ruiz et Rebecca Marcy by La Monnaie De Munt
Dates & tickets

Dates

Cast
Cast

ConductorALEVTINA IOFFE DirectorDAMIANO MICHIELETTO Set DesignerPAOLO FANTIN Costume DesignerCARLA TETI Lighting DesignerALESSANDRO CARLETTI Chorus MasterEMMANUEL TRENQUE

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CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Melodramma in un atto
Libretto di Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti e Guido Menasci
Musica di Pietro Mascagni
Premiere Teatro Costanzi, Roma, 17.5.1890

SantuzzaCLÉMENTINE MARGAINE,
SOFIJA PETROVIČ (16, 19, 23, 26 & 30.3) LolaNIAMH O’SULLIVAN TuridduGASTON RIVERO,
RAFAEL DAVILA (16, 19, 23, 26 & 30.3) AlfioŁUKASZ GOLIŃSKI Mamma LuciaELENA ZAREMBA

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PAGLIACCI
Dramma in due atti
Libretto e musica di Ruggero Leoncavallo
Premiere Teatro dal Verme, Milano, 21.5.1892

NeddaADRIANA GONZÁLEZ,
SUA JO (16, 19, 23, 26 & 30.3) CanioMARTIN MUEHLE,
DIEGO TORRE (16, 19, 23, 26 & 30.3) TonioANDRII KYMACH,
THEO MAGONGOMA (16, 19, 23, 26 & 30.3) BeppeSAHY RATIA SilvioMIKHAIL TIMOSHENKO

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La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
La Monnaie Choral Academy and Children's and Youth Choirs, prepared by Benoît Giaux

CoproductionLA MONNAIE (2018)
ROYAL BALLET AND OPERA (Covent Garden),
OPERA AUSTRALIA,
THE GÖTEBORG OPERA

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