Sorrow. Loneliness. Despair.

Both Mascagni’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ and ‘Zanetto’ explore themes around love, and a lack thereof. ‘Zanetto’ represented the composer’s return to the one act opera format, which was exemplified in his earlier ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’.

‘Zanetto’ tells the story of the beautiful courtesan Silvia, who cannot come to terms with her love for the title character. She lies to him and pretends to be someone she is not. The tragedy of this work is her inability to express her emotions to others.

Similarly, ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’, with its fickle lovers, also explores themes of miscommunication in love and deception.

Join the young singers of Concordia Ensemble as they embark on this charming concert program accompanied by the 2022 winner of the Sydney International Song Prize, and David Miller Award, Jamie-Lee Xu.

Program

‘Zanetto’ in its entirety

‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ chorus selections