Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci in a Grand Production (19:30)

The performance is presented in Italian with Russian and Hebrew subtitles. The Vienna–Tel Aviv Vocal Connection and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra are proud to present: Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci in a grand production with 150 participants — singers of the Vienna–Tel Aviv Vocal Connection alongside stars from the world's leading opera houses, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and four choirs. Conductor: David Aronson of the Vienna State Opera. Director: Rosemary Danziger. Choir conductor: Assaf Benraf. The Vienna–Tel Aviv Vocal Connection is one of the important opera institutions in Israel. It is the only one that carries full, internationally high-level opera productions across the country for opera lovers wherever they may be. Indeed, the applause of the audiences filling the halls attests to the sweeping success of this important cultural enterprise. The pure enjoyment and warmth with which the operas "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Die Fledermaus" were received give the people behind this art the strength and energy to delight this wonderful audience with more and more quality opera performances. In the production before us, two short operas will be presented: Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci (I Pagliacci) by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Both operas are among the most beloved gems of Italian opera for opera-loving audiences. It is customary for this pair of operas to be performed in a single evening, each lasting about an hour and each divided into two parts by an instrumental intermezzo; both belong to the genre called verismo, characterized by sharp realism and presenting human emotion in the deepest way through total musical and dramatic means. Casting verismo operas requires singers with big, powerful dramatic voices capable of conveying emotions erupting from the depths of the soul. For the Vienna–Tel Aviv Vocal Connection's production, international singers who have sung these demanding roles at major opera houses around the world were chosen for the leading roles. Maestro David Aronson of the Vienna State Opera and international director Rosemary Danziger will lead the soloists, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and four choirs (including a children's choir) into the eye of the storm of these masterpieces. Verismo as a literary and operatic genre — its brutal realism turns toward the viewer's raw sorrow, presenting the storm of human emotion without embellishment. The viewer is shaken along with the tragic hero, understands him, but is also horrified by that very understanding. Love and passion sweep the protagonists away and lead them down uncontrollable paths. The events in both operas take place within a realistic world, within society, within its fixed customs — such as the religious rite, the Easter procession in Cavalleria Rusticana, and a church wedding ceremony (in the version before us). The world goes on as usual, and within it interpersonal dramas unfold that spill over into the public space. In both operas, the public/communal space is expressed through the extensive use of split choirs, representing different groups in society — whether women and men returning from work in the fields, members of the community watching the Easter procession, or worshippers in the church. In this production, the four choirs are entrusted to the skilled hands of Maestro Assaf Benraf, who has conducted opera choirs around the world and at the Israeli Opera. The rich orchestration emphasizes the sharpness of the plot while also wrapping it in an aesthetic envelope. This contrast contributes its part to the encounter between the storm of emotions and the reality surrounding it. Already in the ancient world, philosophers discussed the catharsis that occurs both in the viewer and in the performer when watching a tragedy or performing a tragic role. Aristotle in the Poetics speaks of the fear and compassion that arise in the viewer and the tragic performer. There is in this a kind of processing of the evil inherent in humankind and its transformation into compassion, while drawing conclusions about the