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Cavalleria Rusticana SICILIANA (announced) 1903


Prelude: “O Lola”
In 1888 the publishing house Sanzogno called for a competition for composing operas in three act, with a theme chosen by the participants. There was prize money and the immediate staging of the operas that achieved the first three places. By then, Pietro Mascagni was 25 years old and was almost unknown. He had withdrawn from the Milan Conservatory and worked as director of a company itinerant opera. No one – not even he – thought that in the short term could move on to occupy an important place in the musical life of Italy at the end of XIX Century. Mascagni knew of the contest brought and took the opportunity to make themselves known to the musicalization of the novel “Cavallería Rusticana” by Giovanni Verga, and success in Italy to be converted into a theater piece. Mascagni asked for the drafting of the text to the librettists Giovanni Targioni-Tossetti and Guido Menasci, and composed the opera in a few months.

They submitted to the contest, and works between 72 participants, won the first prize. “Cavalry Rusticana” was the first and only renowned opera composed by Mascagni, resting it practically his whole life and fame.

The most accurate translation of the title would be “Rustic Chivalry or parochial” and refers to a code of honor that governs in a modest community Sicilian.

__________________________________
Spanish lyrics for Tiriddu Prelude:
PRELUDIO

TURIDDU(fuera de escena)
¡Oh Lola, cuya camisa es blanca
como la leche, eres blanca
y encarnada cual cereza,
cuando te asomas eres toda sonrisas;
bendito sea
el que te dio el primer beso.
Tu puerta de sangre
está rociada y no me importaría
matarme ante tu umbral;
y si al morir yo fuera al Paraíso
no entraría si no te encontrara allí.

/”Caballerosidad rústica o pueblerina”/

Duration : 0:3:21


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24 Responses to “Cavalleria Rusticana SICILIANA (announced) 1903”

  1. marctenor says:

    YES!
    YES!

  2. stevevandien says:

    Wonderful to have …
    Wonderful to have these recordings of the young Caruso. The voice is perfectly balanced between dramatic and lyric; a LARGE lyrico-spinto with concurrent dramatic potential. Over the years, his voice darkened, grew larger and thereby became a true dramatic tenor –

  3. 65attila says:

    Amazing – if he …
    Amazing – if he sounded better than any other tenor in a 1903 recording what did he sound like on stage?

    Thanks for posting-John

  4. RiversideTenor says:

    Perhaps he was not …
    Perhaps he was not sure which would sound better recorded. So he did one key as written, and then the other what he thought sounded better for his voice.

  5. RiversideTenor says:

    O thank you …
    O thank you immensely, please is this “O Lola, bianca come fior di spino”?

  6. AuthenticFeirce says:

    Besides Rosa …
    Besides Rosa POnselle.

  7. youchowchow says:

    Genio!!! …
    Genio!!! Maravilloso.

  8. bodiloto says:

    IL RE!!! Grazie!
    IL RE!!! Grazie!

  9. sigft25 says:

    Excellent. It’s …
    Excellent. It’s always good to hear the voice of this legendary GIANT
    I found the piano sound evocative too

  10. njmezzo says:

    Thank you for this …
    Thank you for this fantastic piece of vocal history. No one ever has nor ever will surpass the great Caruso.

  11. Decebal88 says:

    Beautiful :)
    Beautiful :)

  12. elgrancaruso3 says:

    I have films Gigli, …
    I have films Gigli, Caruso, Mario Lanza, Joseph Schmidt, Jonh mc Cormack, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette Mac donald.
    Deanna Durbin, katryn Grayson, Alfredo Kraus, Maria del monaco, music audio and video of the greatest voices in the history of music, leaving interested write to me

  13. nextandykaufman says:

    i’m only 20, so …
    i’m only 20, so good job! how is it that music actually devolved into the crap on the radio now-a-days?

  14. nextandykaufman says:

    mary, no! why did …
    mary, no! why did you have to die? and sleep with your cousin?

  15. operabitch77 says:

    i believe this is a …
    i believe this is a half step ower. he recorded this aria twice this fine day, oncein the original and in the lower key. why? no one knows. but i like the voice in either key. he still is the greatest opera singer ever to grace the stage.

  16. Melot50 says:

    I am out of words, …
    I am out of words, he is unsurpassable. He is definately the best Italian singing tenor, I have ever heard.

  17. amberola1b says:

    having the lyrics …
    having the lyrics presented below while he is singing them helps to understand the Italian pronunciation. And the recording sounds beautiful

  18. balletamie says:

    I wanted to say: …
    I wanted to say: start point

  19. balletamie says:

    Sure was!
    Sure was!

  20. jamesandgrainne says:

    McCormick was also …
    McCormick was also the voice said by Caruso himself.

  21. balletamie says:

    Yes, I’m making …
    Yes, I’m making this Caruso series with lyrics because is a good star point for everyone. If at least one young you tuber gets to like him, that values the hours gone by making them.

  22. jurek46pink says:

    “Rycerskość …
    “Rycerskość wieśniacza” – name of the opera in my country language.

  23. jurek46pink says:

    Despite of all poor …
    Despite of all poor means of technique of the time – this IS the voice !

  24. If only the great Caruso lived in the age of modern sound recording. I certainly would of loved to hear a duet with Deanna Durbin!!

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