While Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi are often performed together on the same evening, these two operas actually represent different facets of Italian opera tradition. Both are relatively short, one-act operas, and combining them creates a theatrical experience of a suitable length for the audience. Additionally, the realistic intensity and tragic ending of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana find balance in the lightness and happy resolution of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.

Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana tells a tale of jealousy, betrayal, and a blood feud in a Sicilian village.

Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi is about a wealthy man who bequeaths his earthly possessions to a monastery, leaving his relatives empty-handed. This opera in the opera buffa style is full of comical situations, wit, and virtuosic arias, the most famous of which is Lauretta’s aria (O mio babbino caro).