What's happened
Opera North presents Cavalleria Rusticana and Aleko in a unique double bill, set in contrasting historical and cultural contexts.
Why it matters
The unique staging of these operas in contrasting settings adds a new dimension to the well-known works, offering audiences a fresh perspective on the classic pieces.
What the papers say
The Guardian emphasizes the director's innovative approach to linking the two operas and the shift in settings, while The Times focuses on the explicit links made between the two operas and the performance of the lead baritone. Both sources highlight the significance of the unique double bill and the impact of the staging on the audience's experience.
How we got here
The story covers the staging of a double bill of operas by Opera North, which sets the works in unconventional historical and cultural contexts, providing a fresh interpretation of the classic pieces.
More on these topics
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Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. Born in Trier, Germany, Marx studied law and philosophy at university. He married Jenny von Westphalen in 1843.
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Cavalleria rusticana (pronounced [kavalleˈriːa rustiˈkaːna]; Italian for 'rustic chivalry') is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same.
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Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre
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Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the late Romantic period. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, and other Russian composers is seen in his early works, later giving