New Opera St. Louis presents:
I Pagliacci
by Ruggero Leoncavallo
January 30&31, 2009, 8:00PM
February 1, 2009, 3:00PM
Missouri History Museum
5700 Lindell Blvd
St Louis, MO 63112
Tickets on sale now:
$30, $26, $22
To order please call 314.865.0038
Synopsis
Prologue
Tonio the clown steps before the curtain to announce that what the audience is about to see is a true story and that even actors and clowns have the same joys and sorrows as other people (“Si può?”).
Act I
On the outskirts of a village, a crowd gathers around a small theatrical company that has just arrived. Canio, the middle-aged head of the troupe, describes the night’s offerings (“Un grande spettacolo”). When one of the villagers suggests that Tonio is secretly courting Canio’s young wife, Nedda, Canio warns them all and explains that he will tolerate no flirting off-stage (“Un tal gioco”). Vesper bells call the women to church and the men to the tavern, leaving Nedda alone. Disturbed by her husband’s jealousy, she looks up to the sky, envying the birds their freedom (“Stridono lassù”). Tonio appears and tries to force himself on her. She beats him back and he swears revenge. In fact, Nedda does have a lover—Silvio, a young peasant, who appears and persuades her to run away with him after the evening’s performance (Duet: “E allor perchè”). Tonio overhears their conversation and hurries off to tell Canio. The jealous husband bursts in on the guilty pair, but Silvio manages to slip away before Canio can identify him. Nedda, even when threatened with a knife, refuses to reveal Silvio’s name. Beppe, another clown, restrains Canio, and Tonio advises him to wait until the evening’s performance to catch Nedda’s lover. Alone, Canio bitterly reflects that he must play the clown while his heart is breaking (“Vesti la giubba”).
Act II
That evening, the villagers, including Silvio, assemble to see the commedia dell’arte performance. Harlequin (played by Beppe) serenades Columbine (Nedda) and dismisses her buffoonish servant Taddeo (Tonio). The two lovers dine together and plot to poison Columbine’s husband Pagliaccio (played by Canio), who soon arrives. Harlequin slips away. With pointed malice, Taddeo assures Pagliaccio of his wife’s innocence, which ignites Canio’s jealousy. Forgetting the play, he demands Nedda tell him the name of her lover (“No, Pagliaccio non son”). She tries to continue with the play, the audience enthralled by its realism. Finally Canio, unable to contain his rage any longer, stabs Nedda. Silvio rushes to the stage to help her and is killed by Canio as well, who announces to the horrified villagers that the comedy has ended.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera
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