The Season opens with the masterpieces of verismo opera.
This is Italian passion vividly told.

The theme for the New National Theatre, Tokyo's 2004/2005 Opera Season is "the fate of women." As the season opener, we present the vivid tragedy of women who have been betrayed by their hopes in two of the greatest works of verismo opera. In an atmosphere deeply colored by provincialism and religion, both operas feature music in which emotions are sung openly, and drama that rises with tension, passionately and intensely driving at the heart. Set in a Sicilian village, "Cavalleria Rusticana" follows its characters from the entanglement of infidelity to a deadly duel. The highlights include Santuzza's anguish-filled aria "Voi lo sapete, o mamma," and the beautiful yet grief-laden intermezzo "Mamma, quel vino e generoso," Turiddu's aria in which he expresses his sense of impending death. "I Pagliacci," featuring Canio's magnificent aria "Vesti la giubba," is a tragedy in which a clown goes mad over suspicion of his wife's unfaithfulness and kills her. Borrowing from the "commedia dell'arte" style of including a prologue and a "play within a play," this skillfully constructed story dramatically portrays the intermingling of the stage with reality and the derangement of the clown who is betrayed by his wife. Grischa Asagaroff's direction further pursues the inherent realism of these works by pushing the thick air of Italy to the forefront. And in this season's opener, we feature the gifted conductor, Ban Tetsuro, who is following up last year's highly praised production of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," in addition to a wonderful cast that includes Elisabetta Fiorillo and Sergej Larin. With an orchestra and chorus worthy of backing up this passion-filled music, it is sure to be an unforgettable performance.

Synopsis